A socio-politic geographical area of eastern Europe usually including the European countries to the east of Germany, Austria and Italy, and to the west of the Urals. However, a less common definition of the region excludes the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Baltic states and some parts of the Balkans - placing them in Central Europe instead.
The translation of Khrushchev's letter reached me later that day, and I read it with care and with growing disappointment. It seemed designed for propaganda purposes rather than serious diplomacy. Khrushchev roundly denounced "colonizers" and "imperialism" as the major causes of past wars. Of course, he did not mention the Soviet Union's attack on Finland, the obliteration of the Baltic states, or the "colonization" of Eastern Europe by Moscow after World War II.
1996 — Dennis P. Hupchick & Harold E. Cox, A Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe, map 3
The Slavic peoples' ancestors entered Eastern Europe between the 5th and 7th centuries from their original common homeland.
The boundaries of Eastern Europe are not always clearly defined. "Overlapping" occurs in such cases as those of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Baltic states, and the Balkans. Similarly, most mainstream definitions of Eastern Europe include the former communist nations of the Caucasus, although there are a few sources that list them as transcontinental or Eurasian.
