Unity was brought mainly by the decades-long process of setting up and expanding the European Union in the aftermath of WW 2; also the disappearance of the Iron Curtain in 1989 was a major factor in uniting Europe.
Major disruptive factors were of course the two World Wars, and before 1989, the existence of a Communist-dominated Eastern Europe versus Western Europe.
not necessarily achieving fame but more like, becoming recognized because that is the time when a lot of music, paintings, and etc. came out at that time
You already answered your question.
