Final answer:
The symbolic division between Eastern & Western Europe was called the Iron Curtain, representing the ideological and physical separation between communist and capitalist blocs during the Cold War era. It was most notably symbolized by the Berlin Wall in Germany. This division ended with the fall of the Soviet Union and the transition of Eastern European countries towards integration with Western Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
The symbolic division between Eastern & Western Europe during the post-World War II era was known as the Iron Curtain. This term was famously coined by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a speech he delivered in 1946. The Iron Curtain represented not just a physical barrier but also an ideological one, separating the communist nations of Eastern Europe under Soviet influence from the capitalist democracies of Western Europe.
Europe's division was formalized when Germany was split into East and West, with East Germany becoming the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), a communist state, and West Germany forming the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (FRG), a democratic state. The Berlin Wall, part of the Iron Curtain, physically divided the city of Berlin, serving as a potent symbol of the division between East and West.
Following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Eastern Europe began a transition towards independence and greater cooperation with Western Europe, leading to many of the former Eastern bloc countries seeking integration with the European Union (EU). The Iron Curtain no longer exists, but its historical impact remains a significant chapter in European history.