Satellite state A satellite state is a political term for a country that is formally independent , but under heavy political , economic and military influence or control by another country . The term was coined by analogy to planetary objects orbiting a larger object , such as smaller moons revolving around larger planets , and is used mainly to refer to Central and Eastern Europe an countries of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War or to Mongolia between 1924 and 1990 , for example . As used for Central and Eastern European countries it implies that the countries in question were " satellites " under the hegemony of the Soviet Union . In some contexts it also refers to other countries in the Soviet sphere of influence during the Cold War — such as North Korea ( especially in the years surrounding the Korean War ) and Cuba ( particularly after it joined the Comecon ) . In Western usage , the term has seldom been applied to states other than those in the Soviet orbit . In Soviet usage , the term was applied to the states in the orbit of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy . In times of war or political tension , satellite states sometimes serve as a buffer between an enemy country and the nation exerting control over the satellite . " Satellite state " is one of several contentious terms used to describe the ( alleged ) subordination of one state to another . Other such terms include puppet state and neo - colony . In general , the term " satellite state " implies deep ideological and military allegiance to the hegemonic power , whereas puppet state implies political and military dependence , and neo - colony implies ( often abject ) economic dependence . Depending on which aspect of dependence is being emphasised , a state may fall into more than one category . Soviet satellite states . Post World War I . When the Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1921 broke out , Mongolian revolutionaries expelled Russia n White Guards ( during the Russian Civil War of 1917 - 1923 following the Communist October Revolution of 1917 ) from Mongolia , which became independent when the Qing Empire of China collapsed in 1911 , with the assistance of the Soviet Red Army . The revolution also officially ended Chinese sovereignty over Mongolia , which had existed since 1691 . Although the theocratic Bogd Khaanate of Mongolia still nominally continued , with successive series of violent struggles , Soviet influence got ever stronger , and after the death of the Bogd Khaan ( " Great Khan " , or " Emperor " ) , the Mongolian People ' s Republic was proclaimed on November 26 , 1924 . Being a sovereign and nominally independent country , it has been described for the years 1924 – 1990 as a satellite state of the Soviet Union . During the Russian Civil War , the Soviet Red Army troops took Tuva in January 1920 , which was also part of the Qing Empire of China and a protectorate of Imperial Russia . The Tuvan People ' s Republic , was proclaimed independent in 1921 and was as a satellite state of Soviet Union until its annexation in 1944 by the Soviet Union . Another early Soviet satellite state in Asia was the short - lived Far East Republic in Siberia . Post World War II . At the end of World War II , most eastern and central European countries were occupied by the Soviet Union , and along with the USSR made up what is sometimes called the Soviet Empire . The Soviets remained in these countries after the war ' s end . Through a series of coalition governments including Communist parties , and then a forced liquidation of coalition members unliked by the Soviets , Stalinist systems were established in each country . Stalinists gained control of existing governments , police , press and radio outlets in these countries . Soviet satellite states in Europe included : The Federal People ' s Republic of Yugoslavia is sometimes referred to as a Soviet satellite , though it broke from the Soviet Union in the 1948 Tito - Stalin split , with the Cominform offices being moved from Belgrade to Bucharest , and subsequently initiated formation of the Non - Aligned Movement . The People ' s Republic of Albania , under the leadership of Stalinist Enver Hoxha , broke ties with the Soviet Union in 1960 following the Soviet de - Stalinization process . These countries were , at least between 1945 and 1948 , all members of the Eastern Bloc . The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan can also be considered a Soviet satellite ; from 1978 until 1992 the central government in Kabul was aligned with the Communist bloc , and was directly supported by Soviet military power between 1979 and 1989 . The short - lived East Turkestan Republic ( 1944 - 1949 ) was a Soviet satellite until it was absorbed into the People ' s Republic of China along with the rest of Xinjiang . Post – Cold War use of the term . Commentators have sometimes expressed concern that United States military and diplomatic interventions in the Middle East and elsewhere might lead , or perhaps has already led , to the existence of American satellite states . William Pfaff has warned that a permanent American presence in Iraq would " turn Iraq into an American satellite state . " The term has also been used to describe the relationship between Lebanon and Syria , as Syria has been accused of intervening in Lebanese political affairs .