The Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological and physical boundary that separated the Western powers of NATO from the Eastern bloc countries influenced or controlled by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Coined by Winston Churchill in a 1946 speech, the term represented the divide between capitalism and communism. The Iron Curtain not only delineated territorial borders but also served as a metaphor for the suppression of freedom and the lack of communication between the two spheres. Its eventual dismantling marked the decline of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe and contributed to the end of the Cold War.