The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was an economic aid program that intended to reconstruct Western Europe's economies following World War II. It was suggested by US Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947 and involved enormous financial assistance to European countries to aid in the reconstruction of their infrastructure, factories, and economy. The Marshall Plan's purpose was to establish stable and rich democracies in Western Europe while stopping the rise of communism in the region.
The Containment Plan, on the other hand, was a political and military strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communist throughout the world. In a renowned 1947 paper published in Foreign Affairs, US politician George F. Kennan stated the idea for the first time. The Containment Plan called for the use of political, economic, and military means to limit the expansion of communism, specifically in areas vulnerable to Soviet influence.
In general, the Containment Plan was a larger policy aimed at restricting the impact of the Soviet Union and preventing the spread of communism throughout the world, whereas the Marshall Plan was a vast aid package created to rebuild Western Europe's economies.