Many other countries have struggled to reconcile their differences after lesser conflicts, so what events and policies made peace among us something we most take for granted?
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The short answer is because Western Europe united against a new enemy, the Soviet Union.
After WW2 the allies learned the lessons of WW1 and decided against forcing the Axis powers to pay harsh reparations (despite Stalin’s protests) because that was a big part of what led to WW2. The hyper-inflation and economic damage resulted in a political climate that lead to the rise of the Nazi party.
There was also another big consideration. With the Soviet union having essentially all but annexed the Eastern countries like Poland and Hungary, the UK, US, and France needed strong allies in the West. So they cancelled a bunch of debt and helped rebuild West Germany into an economic powerhouse. This strengthened the relationship between those nations as they were now cooperating rather than treating Germany as a purely defeated and conquered nation.
Japan similarly was under US occupation after the War and it’s political system, Constitution, and economics were re-tooled. Japan was a defeated nation and the rampant Nationalism in Japan had cooled significantly after their defeat. The Americans eventually left rather than rule over Japan like a conquered people which helped a lot. The Japanese were willing to become close allies after that.
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