Strategies that both the United States and the Soviet Union used to maintain their levels of influence included giving aid to sway a country towards them, war in order to eradicate the other [particularly the Domino Effect for United States towards the Soviet Union] and creating beneficial allies through aid. The United States also aimed to keep it's political and economical ideology with those affected during WWII.
This affected nations both in East and Western Europe as they were caught in the middle of this fairly passive aggressive war but it was also a time for reconstruction as the majority of WWII took place in Europe. That being said, many countries in Europe had aid coming from both the USSR and the United States in their hopes to expand their influence. Thus, it affected the Europeans fairly positively as they got aid in attempts to sway them to one side.
Hope this helps!