The "Communist Bloc" refers to a group of socialist states that were aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This bloc primarily included countries in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, which adopted communist governments and economic systems. The bloc was characterized by a centralized economy and a one-party political system, with the Soviet Union exerting significant influence over its member states. The Communist Bloc was established after World War II and lasted until the late 1980s, when many of these countries began to transition to democratic systems. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolized the decline of the Communist Bloc, leading to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and significant political changes across Eastern Europe.