Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe as a region has several alternative definitions, whereby it can denote:

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• European countries of the former "Eastern Bloc", or
• the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Central Europe and Russia. This new Eastern Europe has become more commonly used to identify the region since the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, or
• a homogeneous group of countries which stretches from the Ural mountains or the eastern border of European Russia to:

::- the current western boundary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, or

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::- the current eastern boundary of the European Union.

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The boundaries of Eastern Europe can be subject to considerable overlap and fluctuation depending on the context they are used in, which makes differentiation difficult. As is also true of continents, regions are only social constructs and should not be understood as physical features defined by abstract, neutral criteria.

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In many sources the term "Eastern Europe" still encompasses most, or all, such European countries that until the end of the "Cold War" (around 1989) were under communist regimes or direct Soviet control, i.e., the former "Eastern Bloc". However, it is currently common to include many former "Eastern Bloc" nations in the categories of Southeastern Europe/Balkans, Central Europe and Northern Europe.

Related Topics:
Cold War - 1989 - Communist regimes - Southeastern Europe/Balkans - Central Europe - Northern Europe

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Eastern Europe: History ►