Historical Comparison to Current Day Boundaries World War II ended in 1945, Europe was divided into Western Europe and Eastern Europe by the “Iron Curtain.” Eastern Europe was under the power of the Soviet Union, and that region was separated from the West. When the Soviet Union fell in 1991, all of the Soviet Republics bordering Eastern Europe declared independence from Russia and joined with the rest of Europe. The change Eastern Europe has experienced in the last few decades has not been simple; however, most of the countries are now asking to Western Europe for trade and economic development. Eastern and Western Europe work together, and the European Union has become the primary economic and political source of Europe.The countries bordering Russia were once part of the Soviet Union, and the countries that aren’t part of the Soviet Union were heavily influenced by its high position in the region. Most Eastern European political borders correlate to ethnic boundaries. Each of the regions once represented nation-states. For example , Romania is set for Romanians, Hungary for Hungarians, etc