As described i the article what did the iron curtain symbolize?

The Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological and physical division between Western democracies and Eastern communist countries during the Cold War. It represented the stark boundary that separated capitalist nations, led by the United States, from the Soviet Union and its satellite states. This metaphor highlighted the political, military, and cultural tensions of the era, marking a period of heightened rivalry and conflict between the two superpowers.