Abstract
This research note reports on an attempt to update a previous study about East- West tension in Europe during the post-1945 period. In the original study tension was measured by means of a content analysis of governmental statements, and data on fluctuations in tension were presented for the period 1946-1970; the same technique has been applied to the period 1971-1975, and data for the whole of the period 1946- 1975 can now be reported. In the original study an attempt was also made to explain fluctuations in tension primarily in terms of changes in the degree of bipolarization in Europe, and by reference to changes in the strategic balance between the US and the USSR; in this follow-up study the main conclusions are reconsidered in the light of the additional empirical evidence now available.
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