America, as well as all empires in history, were created and then kept together via military force.
In contrast, the EU started out peacefully as a trade organization. Membership in it is purely voluntary. This makes it quite unique.
In contrast, the EU started out peacefully as a trade organization. Membership in it is purely voluntary. This makes it quite unique.
Then a few years after the war, the European Coal and Steel Community was created to regulate coal and steel in six countries under a single authority. Including West Germany, which had only been formed from the occupied territories a year before. It was certainly not unrelated to military force.
Its initial aims included making war between member states impossible, and eventual democratic unification of all of Europe. The later institutions up to the EU grew out of it.
So although it was completely peaceful, it's still an outcome of WW2.
That's true but blatantly ignores things like, oh, you know the Civil War that tore the US apart
NATO arose from the ashes of conflict but membership is entirely voluntary, and unlike leaving the EU there is no talk of 'punishing' those who no longer wish to remain.
For example France left the NATO integrated military structure in 1996 and rejoined in 2009 without penalty.