What if following the collapse of the Soviet Union an economic plan similar to that of the Marshall Plan was instituted in Eastern Europe? Would Eastern Europe be in a better position than OTL? Is it economically feasible?
What if following the collapse of the Soviet Union an economic plan similar to that of the Marshall Plan was instituted in Eastern Europe? Would Eastern Europe be in a better position than OTL? Is it economically feasible?
You'd have to do something about the rise of neoliberalism in the 70s and 80s. Once neoliberal economics becomes orthodoxy the Russians have little hope of help from the west. All they're going to get is the economic boar bile enema that was shock therapy.
the original Marshall Plan had as much symbolic value as actual economic.
That said, in 1991, the old Soviet bloc was in no where nearly as bad shape as Western Europe after World War Two, so 130 billion dollars would've had far less relative overall effect.
Still, as you point out, the symbolic value... I can't help but think that this could have an enormously beneficial effect on US-Russian relations.