ABSTRACT
While the Yom Kippur War plays a central role in the military history of Israel and as an opening in the evolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, one should not ignore its psychological effect or belittle its significance in the social, political and economic development of the state. This review tries to outline the social, political, economic and psychological effects of the war. Naturally, in such a review it is impossible to go into any detailed analysis. However, by trying to present a general, minimalist sketch, the monumentality of the total effect comes to light. Nevertheless, it is also impossible to escape the conclusion that except perhaps for the immediate psychological effects and the longer term economic effects, the Yom Kippur War was, on the whole, much more of a catalyst for various developments, which would have occurred even had it never taken place, than the perpetrator of these developments.
