WILMINGTON — Emeritus professor of history Dr. Vinton Prince will speak on the Marshall Plan at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 in Wilmington College’s Meriam R. Hare Quaker Heritage Center.
His presentation is part of the programming associated with the QHC gallery exhibit titled “Cooperation Means Prosperity: Marshall Plan Posters for Post WWII Recovery,” which is running through Dec. 8. Normal gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to noon Fridays.
Prince, who retired in 2014 after more than 30 years on WC’s history faculty, will lead discussion following the showing of the short films, Me and Mr. Marshall and Treasure from the Rhone.
The United States led the economic recovery of a devastated Europe in the years following World War II. That massive influx of American aid — $17 billion over four years — to a continent in crisis became known as the Marshall Plan.
Colorful posters heralding a newly united Europe under U.S. leadership were plastered on buildings, walls and construction sites in 13 nations. The full set of 26 posters was given to Wilmington College by WC alumnus Sam Stratman, a Wilmington native who worked for 25 years on Capitol Hill.
The posters incorporate the themes of Europe and America working together and cooperating with one another. They were designed to remind the citizens of France, Denmark, Belgium, Great Britain and the other nine nations that the United States helped defeat the Axis powers and was playing a leading role in their recovery from economic, social and political turmoil.
Incredibly, in 1949-50, a whopping one-third of the United States’ federal budget was earmarked for the European Recovery Program, which became known as the Marshall Plan. While the U.S. wished to see those nations recover, it also had an added motive of isolating Communism and making certain that Western Europe didn’t fall under Soviet influence as the Cold War quickly heated up.
Other programming surrounding the poster exhibit includes a presentation, “The First Pillar of the Atlantic Alliance,” by Dr. Ingo Trauschweizer of Ohio University, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. in the QHC.
Also, as part of the national Museum Day Live!, the Center will have special Saturday hours, from noon to 5 p.m., Sept. 23 for an event including art activities for children and the showing Cold War era European propaganda films in the gallery.
On Sept. 26, at 7 p.m., Wittenberg University professor Dr. Christian Raffensperger will speak on “The Marshall Plan through the Looking Glass: Soviet Reaction and Response to the Start of the Cold War.”
In addition, an as-yet-finalized program will be held Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., and the QHC and Peace Resource Center will co-host the showing of the film The Atomic Café Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m.
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