The assistance of the United States to European reconstruction through the Marshall Plan, and encouragement of the early process of integration leading to the foundation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1954, brought American business profitable opportunities and contributed to the rise of America’s greatest economic competitor. The powerful coalition of corporate-liberal businessmen, that emerged during this period, directly participated in shaping these policy choices. Inspired by a blend of Keynesian economics, anticommunism and long-term prospects of business expansion into the European market, they effectively superseded the conservative business voices critical of these internationalist policies toward Europe.
