The Marshall Plan, which donated billions of dollars to relief after World War II in Europe, had a number of purposes. The first was to assist in the reconstruction efforts of these countries, their economies, infrastructure, and governments that were left engulfed in the postwar period. To achieve that, the US donated nearly $ 15 billion to help these war-torn countries. This has proved to be very effective in promoting recovery in the region. But the Soviet Union saw the aid as an attempt to increase American influence in the region, and it became a major source of tension among these leading rulers, especially as the US dollar supported West Germany's economy and promoted a remarkable economic recovery there. This, of course, was the purpose of the Strategy. American leaders hoped that by encouraging economic recovery, they would reduce communist outcry to the people of this region. But the Marshall Plan had another purpose - to stimulate the growth of the American economy. American investment and dollars created a market for manufactured goods in the United States, helping to curb America's postwar economic decline. That's why the Marshall Plan is sometimes called the "New Deal for Europe." Like the new agreement under President Franklin Roosevelt, the Marshall Plan sought to create demand through government spending. Ultimately, the purpose of the plan has been to organize the European economy in such a way as to make it easier to manage. The Marshall Plan was actually a big step on the road to European joint markets.