Final answer:
European countries receiving Marshall Aid were obliged to spend a portion of this aid on American goods and align economically with the US, which discouraged communist affiliations and promoted democratic capitalism. Stalin viewed the plan as a threat, leading to the Soviet Union rejecting the aid and prohibiting Eastern European communist states from participating. The Marshall Plan significantly contributed to economic recovery and the decline of communism in Western Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
A proviso of receiving Marshall Aid for European countries was the condition of economic cooperation, which involved forming coalition governments that did not include communist parties. Furthermore, a significant amount of the aid received had to be spent on purchasing American goods, bolstering the post-war economy of the United States and increasing American cultural presence in Europe. Countries accepting Marshall Aid were expected to align economically with the US, fostering a climate of democratic capitalism and creating markets for US products, thus aiding in the global recovery and preventing the spread of communism. Stalin saw the Marshall Plan as bribery and a threat, leading to the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe refusing the aid. This rejection corresponded with the USSR's establishment of its own aid program, the Molotov Plan, for its sphere of influence. The Marshall Plan was instrumental in Western Europe's economic recovery, and by the early 1950s, countries that received aid saw their economies prospering significantly and a decline in communist support within their nations. The success of the Marshall Plan's objectives was evidenced most notably in Germany, amongst other Western European nations.