Following the end of the Second World War, Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain between American dominated non-socialist countries of Europe and Soviet dominated socialist countries of Europe.

　　二战结束后，欧洲被划分为铁幕政局，分别由美国主导的欧洲非社会主义国家和有苏维埃政府领导的欧洲社会主义国家构成。

　　Most non-socialist European countries came under US protection via NATO and formed the European Economic Community amongst themselves.

　　欧洲大部分非社会主义国家通过北约和欧共体受到美国的保护。

　　The Central-East was dominated by communist countries under the Soviet Union's economic and military leadership, while the rest was dominated by capitalist countries under economic and military leadership of the United States.

　　欧洲中东部由共产主义国家领导――苏维埃的经济和军事力量领导，而其他地区主要由资本主义国家――美国的经济军事力量领导。

　　Both of the leading countries were superpowers.

　　双方都是超级大国。

　　Portugal, belonging to the part of Europe led by the US, remained linked to the idea of the socialist state.

　　葡萄牙属于美国领导的欧洲国家，但还残留着社会主义思想。

　　There was also a number of neutral, or Third World, countries in between, including Finland, Yugoslavia, Sweden, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland.

　　当然也存在中立国或称为第三世界，包括芬兰、南斯拉夫、瑞典、爱尔兰、澳大利亚和瑞士。

　　In late 1989, the Fall of Communism began in countries allied with USSR: Poland, Hungary and Romania.

　　1989年，苏维埃社会主义共和国联盟的波兰、匈牙利和罗马尼亚发生了东欧剧变。

　　The Soviet Union itself fell a little later, in 1990-1991, and countries which had been Soviet republics became independent.

　　1990-1991年，苏维埃政府解体称为独立的国家。

　　As a consequence Europe's economic integration deepened, the continent became depolarised and the European Union expanded to include many of the formerly communist European countries, in 2004 and 2007.

　　2004-2007年，欧洲经济一体化加深，地域概念逐渐消除，很多之前属于欧洲共产主义的国家也加入到欧盟中。