What were the sources of postwar recovery and stability in western Europe?

Question

After World War II, towards the start of the Cold War. 1945-1965.

Answer 1

One source would definitely have to be the Marshall Plan, named after U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, a program under which American aid was supplied to war-ravaged Western Europe to help rebuild national economies, including that of West Germany which of course as a component of the previously unified Nazi Germany had been the prime instigator of the war and enemy of the United States. Especially pertaining to West Germany the Marshall Plan was a considerable success, as the economy of this nation in particular was strengthened to the point that it became prominent in the world economy and perhaps more importantly for the United States, a strong ally in the Cold War and a bulwark of the West in the face of the Communist bloc led by the Soviet Union.