Final answer:
The geopolitical setting of countries during the Cold War can be explained by their membership in the Warsaw Pact and their location along the European Shelterbelt.
Step-by-step explanation:
The geopolitical setting of countries during the Cold War can be explained by their membership in the Warsaw Pact and their location along the European Shelterbelt. The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance formed by the Soviet Union and its satellite states in response to NATO. This alliance divided Europe into two opposing camps, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union.
The Eastern Bloc countries, which included countries like Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, were under Soviet influence and had communist governments. They were part of the Warsaw Pact and aligned with the Soviet Union's political and military objectives. The Warsaw Pact provided a security blanket for these countries and ensured their loyalty to the Soviet Union.
The European Shatterbelt refers to the region in Central and Eastern Europe that became a battleground between the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. This region, including countries like Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, was strategically significant due to its location between the two blocs. It experienced political and military tensions as the two superpowers vied for influence and control.