The political and military division of Europe after the Second World War.
Historical background
As the wartime alliance broke down, Soviet-backed governments consolidated power across much of Eastern Europe. In 1946, Winston Churchill used the phrase “iron curtain” in a speech at Fulton, Missouri, to describe the division taking shape.
The divide became visible in restrictions on travel and political freedoms. Berlin, a divided city inside East Germany, was one of the clearest examples of how Cold War rivalries shaped everyday life.
