ABSTRACT
The United States (US) played a critical role in the new European drive toward unity. American economic leadership—embodied by the Marshall Plan and the new Bretton Woods economic system—ameliorated the continent's dire postwar economic needs and created the conditions for a prosperous Europe to emerge. The security umbrella offered by the US provided Europe with the crucial space it needed to start addressing its long-term political problems. Although unity and cooperation had often been suggested as a solution to Europe's long history of conflict, a peaceful European community was really only possible after World War II. The main legacy of the war was a fundamental reordering of the international system into a new bipolar world dominated by the United States and the Soviet Union. Recognition of the relative decline of Europe's power led its governments to seek a greater degree of cooperation that would lead eventually to political and economic integration and a common European identity.
