Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland

Definition

These are three Central European countries that were once part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. They joined NATO in 1999, marking a significant shift in their geopolitical alignment.

Analogy

Think of these countries as students who transferred from one school (Eastern Bloc/Soviet influence) to another (NATO/Western influence), changing their friend circles and alliances in the process.

Related terms

Eastern Bloc: This refers to socialist states under the influence or control of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Iron Curtain: A term popularized by Winston Churchill referring to political, military, and ideological barrier erected by Soviet Union after World War II to seal off itself and its dependent eastern and central European allies from open contact with West and other noncommunist areas.

Velvet Revolution: A peaceful protest movement that led to the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia (now split into Czech Republic and Slovakia) in 1989.