Hitch + redundant + parochial

[giuly90]

Dear teachers,

I cannot understand the meaning of these three terms in the following passage, and would be grateful if you could help me make it clear.

"When the ideological positions that had
hitched Western Europe and the United States together
during the cold war became redundant after 1989, people
began to sense a growing rift between the two continents,
as though a schism had occurred in Western civilization.
Forgetting just how recently the authority of established
churches had been diminished even in the most liberal European
countries, Europeans talked as though secularism
had always distinguished them from the parochial, conservative,
God-fearing Americans".

[Jaskin]

HI
Note not a teacher nor a native speaker,

Dear teachers,

I cannot understand the meaning of these three terms in the following passage, and would be grateful if you could help me make it clear.

"When the ideological positions that had
hitched Western Europe and the United States together
during the cold war became redundant after 1989, people
began to sense a growing rift between the two continents,
as though a schism had occurred in Western civilization.
Forgetting just how recently the authority of established
churches had been diminished even in the most liberal European
countries, Europeans talked as though secularism
had always distinguished them from the parochial, conservative,
God-fearing Americans".

"get hitched" means to get married, its used in passive here as make an alliance, ally.

Redundant - "the marriage" - alliance was unnecessary after 1989.

Parochial - when you describe someone as parochial you consider them as too much concern with they own affairs while they should see a bigger picture. It has critical connotation.

Cheers