The European Union came about as a result of the devastation of Western Europe during the two world wars and the desire for lasting peace, and the European nations' desire to compete on the world's economic and political stage. (True / False)The European Union was not formed overnight; through a series of treaties and acts, it progressed from a small community dealing with specific trade issues to an economic union that is an emerging economic and political superpower of the same order as the United States. (True / False)