Eastern Europe is an ancient term given redefinition in modern commentary post-World War II that some now claim is outdated and useless — in the simplest geographical sense, it refers to geographical regions in Europe east and southeast of Germany; In meanings encompassing political or economic overtones, the term is one that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the eastern part of the European continent, which until recently were dominated by the now defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Although the term Eastern Europe was largely defined during the Cold War, and used more or less synonymously with Eastern Bloc and Second World, it still remains much in use. However, two decades after the demolition of the Iron Curtain, many feel that the term is becoming increasingly outdated due to its Cold War era connotations that suggest alienating stereotypes of Soviet-style economic, political and cultural development.

In fact, as of the 2000's, multiple Eastern European countries are listed among the world's 30 most developed countries, while in Western (and especially American) popular culture, the region is still erroneously associated with Cold War era "backwardness". Several definitions of Eastern Europe exist today, but they often lack precision or are extremely general. This definitions vary both across cultures and among experts and political scientists, recently becoming more and more imprecise .

Usually, the term is understood as a region lying between Central Europe and the Ural Mountains, or as European countries of the former "Eastern Bloc" - western borders of Western Europe depend on the approach.

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