The whole idea, also for the Marshall Plan, was to get European economy up and running again (without German monopoly) so as to be an export market for American goods. Everything was also given in dollars, strengthening this currency way beyond its pre-war value.
Political and economic goodwill followed, of course, among other things receiving European nations rewrote their history books to have less of that 'dangerous' nationalism, while 'patriotism' (basically the same thing) grew to ever higher levels across the pond.
Basically, WWII was the best thing that could have happened to US economical and political power.