Final answer:
A) Facilitating the reconstruction of Western Europe. The Marshall Plan's primary goal was to help rebuild Western Europe after World War II, aiming to foster recovery and stability to counteract the spread of Communism and create markets for U.S. goods, ultimately deepening the East-West divide as the Soviet Union rejected the aid.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary goal of the Marshall Plan introduced by the United States in the aftermath of World War II was A) Facilitating the reconstruction of Western Europe. The plan sought to promote the economic rebuilding of European nations to prevent the spread of Communism by stabilizing economies and encouraging democratic governance. Through the Economic Cooperation Act of 1948, the U.S. provided a total of $12 billion (equivalent to about $147 billion today) to rebuild infrastructure, restore industrial capacity, and revive war-torn economies in Europe. While doing so, the U.S. also aimed to establish a market for its goods, thereby preventing a postwar economic depression. Funds were often used to purchase American goods, resulting in economic growth for the U.S. itself. Soviet Union, viewing the plan as a threat to their influence, prevented Eastern Block countries from receiving Marshall Plan aid, leading to a divergent path of reconstruction based on Soviet models, further deepening the divide between the Eastern and Western blocs.