Abstract
Shortly after Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the office of General-Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985, a widely-circulated comment made by Georgi Arbatov, a leading Soviet expert on the West, noted that Gorbachev had done great harm to the West by robbing it of its enemy image. The very mode of speech lends expression to a central aspect of the East-West conflict, namely the social psychological dynamics that are contained therein. The social psychological dynamics of the conflict contributed towards continuation on both sides of a syndrome characterised by hostility, suspicion and an arms race without parallel.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
Mitscherlich, Alexander, Die Idee des Friedens und die menschliche Aggressivität (Frankfurt am Main, 1969).
Richter, Horst E., Zur Psychologie des Friedens (Reinbek bei Hamburg, 1982).
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1991 European University Centre for Peace Studies
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Senghaas-Knoblach, E. (1991). The Political Psychology of the East-West Conflict and Beyond. In: Birnbaum, K.E., Binter, J.B., Badzik, S.K. (eds) Towards a Future European Peace Order?. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12189-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12189-2_11
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-12191-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-12189-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)