Soviet Bloc

The Soviet Bloc, also known as the Eastern Bloc, was a group of countries in Eastern Europe and beyond that were aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War (roughly 1947-1991). These nations adopted socialist governments and communist policies influenced or controlled by the USSR, contrasting with Western countries that followed democratic and capitalist systems. The Bloc included countries like East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and others. It was characterized by political, military, and economic ties under Soviet influence, and it played a central role in the geopolitical rivalry between the East and West during the Cold War era.