Economic consequences of the different approach to the Marshall Plan in Czechoslovakia and Great Britain

This bachelor thesis examines the economic consequences of the different approaches of Czechoslovakia and Great Britain to the Marshall Plan after the Second World War. Based on a comparative analysis of selected macroeconomic indicators such as GDP, industrial production, foreign trade, inflation and unemployment rates, the thesis shows that the acceptance of US aid led to economic stabilisation, industrial modernisation and rising living standards in the UK. In contrast, Czechoslovakia, which rejected the plan under pressure from the Soviet Union, became economically isolated, lagged behind in technological modernisation and became part of the Soviet bloc, negatively affecting its long-term economic development. The contribution of this thesis lies in the integration of economic and political analysis with an emphasis on the consequences of a key geopolitical decision. The author uses a combination of available data and literature to offer a comprehensive view of the structural transformations of the two economies in the context of the Cold War. The originality of the work lies in the comparison of two contrasting models of post-war economic development and in the identification of the key factors that lead to the quite different economic trajectories of the two countries.