<image 1> The table shows when each member nation joined the European Union (EU), which was created to reduce trade barriers among member nations. The 1993 Maastricht Treaty founded the EU from its predecessor organization, the European Communities. Which of the following best explains why countries of Eastern Europe were admitted later than other European Union members?
["Support of these countries' agrarian populations for protectionist trade policies", 'Control of those countries by the Soviet Union until the end of the Cold War', 'Resistance to the West by fascist governments in those countries', 'The greater effect on those countries of the Great Depression and world wars']
The European Union (EU) was formed from the European Communities in 1993 in an effort to strengthen European economic trade relations and balance the influence of the United States. Thus, (A) is correct and (D) is incorrect. (B) is incorrect because this was a contributor to the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, not the European Union; the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was created to accelerate economic progress and promote political stability in the nations of the Southeast Asian archipelago. (C) is incorrect because the EU was created so the member countries could form an economic superpower equal to the United States through the adoption of a single multinational currency, the euro, not to make Great Britain alone a superpower.