Now, what are the main issues in which U.S. power played the key role in defining the postwar international order? We will emphasize four: trade and finance,international security,viral resources, and international and domestic politics. first,the United States was consistently the central actor in establishing and managing a framework of rules for international trade and finance and also made the system work by providing financial support. We have seen earlier how the Bretton Woods institutions and GATT were created largely through political initiatives from the United States.At the same time,these institutions confronted striking imbalances in the world economy measurable in terms of the sizable current account deficits between Europe and the United States. Continuing the policy established under Lend Lease,in 1946 the United States provided additional funds to Britain and France to make up the payments gap. When this proved insufficient, the leadership in the United States moved to supply even more funds so the recovery of Europe could continue. The marshall Plan provided the financing needed to cover this imbalance. This can be seen in Table 4.5.