Today, we thrill at victories portrayed by movies like Dunkirk and Darkest Hour. We laud the victory of allies over axis powers in World War II, as we should.

But we have forgotten what came afterward, the quieter victory. We have forgotten the work that led to the triumph of democracy, lessons that we might use today in dealing with current crises.

In June, 1947, U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall outlined a plan to help a devastated Europe recover from the ruins of World War II. Called the European Recovery Plan, it was popularly known as the Marshall Plan.

The Marshall Plan was symbolic of the United States’ decision to choose a different path from the one the country took after World War I. After the first war, the U.S. retreated into isolation. After the second one, The U.S. chose a new path to avoid future “world” wars. From that standpoint, the Marshall Plan worked.

Democratic European and North American countries succeeded beyond anyone’s dreams. They became the promised land for victims of oppression, war, and poverty. Indeed their success has fostered the current gigantic waves of desperate people, straining the ability of democracies to take them in.

But reasons for the numbers go beyond the usual failure of some societies to care for their people—the ever present corrupt governments and regional conflicts.

Too often since the end of the Cold War, the United States has led coalitions against newer enemies and then quit.

The wars, in fact, in Iraq and in Afghanistan, have made the world less safe for democracy. They have contributed to much of the refugee flow.

Hal Brands, in a Bloomberg opinion piece, summarizes the Marshall Plan: “The U.S. would ultimately provide a major infusion of money, along with technical expertise, diplomatic support and other assistance, to make possible a collective recovery program.” (“The Marshall Plan Taught Lessons Trump Refuses to Learn, June 5, 2018)

In his article, Brand contrasts the outlook of those who carried out the Marshall Plan with that of our current government leaders: “There is little recognition by the president of what Marshall and his generation instinctively understood —that things can go south in a hurry if the U.S. does not use its power and creativity to foster a secure and prosperous world.”