As the Soviet Union dissolved and the cold war ended the balance of power in Europe and especially Eastern European changed forever.
While earlier, the Soviet Union held sway over much of Eastern Europe, that completely disintegrated overnight. The Soviet influence in the region was shattered.
On the edges of Eastern Europe were the NATO countries, who quickly became the dominant political and military force in the region without any rival.
Communism and socialist policies also ended as newly freed countries started to transition to market-based economy.
