After Europe was destroyed after WWII the Marshall Plan, or European Recovery Program, was put into effect to help rebuild Europe. The United States had been extremely prosperous until now, but the industry it built would soon be much more dated compared to the one the Marshall Plan would build for Germany. For example, the United States had a great auto industry that was built in the 1910s; however, the new German auto industry built in the 1940s would be better due to modern machines and such. Not many other countries really had the money to rebuild industries like the Marshall Plan did with Germany. The Germans also have strict austerity measures, and being so financially responsible in addition to the modern industries suddenly appearing seems to be what made it happen.