When Europe emerged from the devastation of two world wars, the idea of European integration seemed most natural. Here was a continent of countries that held many things in common. They had all lived through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and had come away with one European culture, a similar way of thinking about themselves and the world. Christianity was the dominant religion. Going further back in history, these countries shared a heritage from the days of the Roman Empire, which gave them a certain uniformity in the way they organised society.
