What was the Marshall Plan impact on communism and Cold War?

From the perspective of the 'Free West,' the Marshall Plan implemented by the United States in the post-World War II era may be said to have had a negative impact on Communism and a positive impact on the Cold War. Its generous support of war-torn nations often prevented Communists or Communist-supported parties from gaining control in various European (and other) nations. At the same time, it positively impacted the Cold War inasmuch as it enabled a 'reborn' Western (and Southern) Europe to serve as a powerful deterrent to any direct or outright Soviet aggression within Europe itself.