Between the late 1940s and the early 1990s, the Cold War era drastically changed Europe. The nations of Europe would have undoubtedly altered over that time, but without the consequences and influence of the Cold War, the changes would not have been as significant. Following the devastation of World War Two, the US provided billions of dollars in economic assistance that helped revive Western Europe under the Marshall plan. However, since countries who took Marshall assistance promised to share economic plans and utilize the cash to buy American goods, the USA's true goal was to solidify its dominance in Europe. Additionally, the rising popularity of communism in Western Europe was weakened by this increased riches. For instance, in France, the communist party had an estimated 1 million members by 1949.
But since the Soviet Union prevented countries in its zone of influence from accepting Marshall Plan help, the Marshall Plan exposed the first serious rift in Europe. Although they provided comparable assistance, it was insufficient, and Eastern Europe's economy started to deteriorate as a result. The two superpowers also designated their respective territories. Both Hungary and Czechoslovakia organized rallies and uprisings against communist government, and in each instance, the USSR ruthlessly suppressed them. It's conceivable that the UN would have adopted a more direct strategy, similar to what was seen in Korea, if the tension and threat of the cold war hadn't existed. However, in Europe, such an intervention was improbable.
Germany was split into the east (the GDR) and west (the FRG) for the duration of the Cold War, and some Germans still sense this division even now, over 40 years after reunification. The Cold War was such a huge and dramatic struggle that it is possible to argue that it influenced how the 21st century looks now. The impacts of it have not only been felt in Europe but also across the world over the past 20 years. Everything was impacted by the Cold War.
