Original: The terms Eastern Bloc , Communist Bloc or Soviet Bloc were used to refer to the former Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe , including the countries of the Warsaw Pact , along with Yugoslavia and Albania , Eastern bloc , The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy , Third Edition .
Simplified: The term Eastern Bloc referred to the former Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe , including the countries of the Warsaw Pact , along with Yugoslavia and Albania , which were not aligned with the Soviet Union after 1948 and 1960 respectively .