Paired Texts > The Marshall Plan

by Mike Kubic 2016

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

Marshall Plan Speech
Marshall Plan Speech
George Catlett Marshall

George Catlett Marshall (1880-1959) was an American soldier, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense. He was particularly famous for his leadership during WWII. The Marshall Plan was the name given to the United States' plan to rebuild Europe after WWII.

Pair “Marshall Plan Speech” with “The Marshall Plan” and ask students to compare the differing representations of the European Recovery Plan. How does the tone of Marshall’s discourse compare with that of the article? Do you think any differences can be explained by the dissimilar forms or intentions of the pieces, or perhaps by the times at which they were written? Does the article adequately capture the sense of immediacy evident in the speech delivered at Harvard in 1947?

11th Grade Speech 1370L
Charter of the United Nations
Charter of the United Nations
United Nations

"The Charter of the United Nations" is an international treaty that was signed on June 26, 1945 by 50 countries around the world. In that same year, World War II officially ended on September 2, 1945. The U.N. was formed to protect human rights across the world, after witnessing the atrocities committed in both world wars, and to take step forward to international peace.

Pair “Charter of the United Nations” with “The Marshall Plan” and ask students to consider the motivations behind the introduction of a “super-government.” How can we reconcile the Marshall Plan’s obvious dependence on the aid of the United States, as expressed in the article, with a desire to involve dozens of nations in global decision-making processes? Can our practical actions ever be perfectly in line with our ideas of equality and fairness? Must all nations make sacrifices for the greater good?

11th Grade Legal Document 1760L
Hoover: Feeding the Starving Victims of World War I
Hoover: Feeding the Starving Victims of World War I
Mike Kubic

"Hoover: Feeding the Starving Victims of World War I" describes the the humanitarian efforts led by Herbert Hoover to feed the hungry in the wake of food shortages caused by World War I.

Pair “Hoover: Feeding the Starving Victims of World War I” with “The Marshall Plan” and ask students to compare and contrast the problems caused by war, and how those problems were solved in each text.

9th Grade Biography 1430L
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall
Mike Kubic

Mike Kubic discusses the Berlin Wall and its effects on the two halves of Berlin that now stood divided.

Pair "The Marshall Plan" with "The Berlin Wall" to help students better understand the United States and its Allies attempted to rebuild Europe after the end of World War II. Ask students to identify George Marshall's plan for Europe and how that vision was antithetical to the vision behind the creation of the Berlin Wall.

10th Grade Informational Text 1400L