The Iron Curtain was a significant political and ideological barrier during the Cold War, symbolizing the division between Western democracies and Eastern communist countries. Coined by Winston Churchill in a speech in 1946, the term represents the separation following World War II, when the Soviet Union expanded its influence across Eastern Europe, establishing communist regimes. The Iron Curtain not only divided Europe physically but also represented a broader struggle between capitalism and communism, leading to military, political, and cultural confrontations. The phrase encapsulated the tensions of the era, culminating in events such as the Berlin Wall’s construction and the eventual fall of communism in Eastern Europe.