Eastern Bloc Countries

The Eastern Bloc was a term that was used to describe a group of Communist nations located in Europe and Asia. These countries were under the control of the Soviet Union, China, and their allies. The Eastern Bloc nations were also known as “Second World” nations during the Cold War era. First World countries were the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, (also known as the Western Bloc) and were led by the United States and its allies. Third World Countries were neutral or not aligned with the Eastern or Western Bloc.

Throughout its history, the Eastern Bloc faced issues, including famine and poverty. The group of nations was isolated from the rest of the world, which finally led the Eastern Bloc to become open to investment and foreign aid. However, it wasn’t until Mikhail Gorbachev pushed for economic restructuring that the Eastern Bloc began to truly fall apart. After the Berlin Wall came down and reunified East and West Germany, the Soviet Union – and the Eastern Block – collapsed.

Which Countries Were Part of the Eastern Bloc?

The roster of Eastern Bloc countries can vary significantly depending upon the source and the time period one is discussing. Most versions of the term include the 15 former Soviet republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia (modern-day Belarus), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia (Kyrgyzstan), Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenia (Turkmenistan), Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Most definitions also include Mongolia and/or Yugoslavia and Albania, though the latter two countries had reduced ties to the USSR from the 1960s onward.

Broader definitions of the Eastern Bloc may also include any of a wide range of allied states viewed as aligned with the USSR at one time or another, including not only the countries that signed the Warsaw Pact and/or the Comecon agreement, but several countries that had become part of the Non-Aligned Movement. Examples of Allied or Satellite countries that may or may not be considered part of the Eastern Bloc include: Afghanistan, Albania (until 1961), Angola, Benin, Bulgaria, China (until 1961), Congo (Republic of the Congo), Cuba, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic), East Germany (Germany), Ethiopia, Grenada, Hungary, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Laos, Mongolia, Mozambique, North Korea, Poland (until 1989), Romania, Somalia (until 1977), South Yemen, Vietnam, and Yugoslavia (until 1948).