Denmark´s social democratic government & The Marshall Plan 1947-1950

The implementation of the Marshall Plan in Denmark gave rise to serious conflicts between the Social Democratic government and the opposition - and between the government and the business community. Vibeke Sørensen portrays the deep disagreement that existed regarding Danish economic policy in the postwar period, analysing also how this political disagreement characterized the Danish implementation of the plan.

On the basis of thorough source studies, Sørensen questions the hitherto appreciatory evaluation of the importance of the Marshall Plan for the Danish society. On the one hand, the implementation played a role in initiating structural changes in the Danish economy, with the plan itself complementing the social democratic reconstruction policy during the first few post war years. On the other hand, the social democratic government failed in its effort to create consensus regarding a more stringent control of economic policy and recognition of the necessity of an industrialization policy. As a result, the Marshall Plan was only a limited success in Denmark.