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Western Europe is mainly a socio-political concept coined and forged during the Cold War, which largely defined its borders. In popular perception and usage, Western Europe was and still is, to a much lesser extent, distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of politics and economics and its borders have little to do with clear and precise geography. Its boundaries were effectively forged in the final stages of World War II and came to encompass all European countries which did not come under Soviet control and influence. As such these countries did not see communist regimes imposed upon them. Neutral countries were classified by the nature of their political regimes.