The
Western Bloc or
Capitalist Bloc during the
Cold War refers to the countries allied with the
United States and
NATO against the
Soviet Union and its allies. The latter were referred to as the
Eastern Bloc, a more common term in
English than
Western Bloc. The governments and press of the Western Bloc were more inclined to refer to themselves as the
Free World or the
Western world.
Western Europe is a controversial term used to refer to democratic countries in Europe during the Cold War, but the concept is sometimes still used for quick reference by the media.