The EU’s architects generated the necessary political will by drawing on the memory of World War II, the threat posed by the Soviet Union, and the economic benefits of greater integration. The process fed on its own success, and, as the Soviet Union crumbled, it received a powerful boost from the prospect of German reunification.
二战殷鉴、苏联的威胁、以及深度一体化的经济利益给了欧盟缔造者必须的政治意愿。这一过程为其自身的成功奠定了基础，而苏联的解体和德国的重新统一让这一过程看上去有了非常美好的前景。