the reason that the U.S. started the Marshall plan was because they knew that the Russians would try to rebuild the countries like they were and then Russia would have a hold on the countries they rebuilt and they would have a good chance on those countries becoming satellite countries which were controlled by Russia but the U.S got to the destroyed countries first and did not let that happen. the reason that the USSR refused the Marshall plan for itself and it's allies is because they did not want the US to have a hold on there allied countries and themselves.