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Advocates of the new social studies have long urged the use of concepts as the basic building blocks in social studies. The question of what concepts and definitions of them should be taught is a matter of agreement among qualified judges. As qualified judges in the international relations-war/peace international education field, we can determine the concepts to which students should be exposed. Such a determination will undoubtedly be picked up by curriculum writers and teachers. We have attempted to take up the task of defining and choosing concepts, generalizations, and a rationale for them in the Diablo Valley Education Project. We have asked: What are the crucial concepts which must be taught if students are to be better prepared to participate in the democratic process, to the end of helping build the institutions of peace? Our initial answer to this is that they should include conflict, change, obligation and authority, power, interdependence, institutions, identity and role, with a discussion of values related approximately to each. We have attempted a definition, rationale, and attitude and knowledge objectives for the concept of conflict. We have also developed an outline of propositions for conflict which begins to provide the content around which we would encourage teachers to build specific units. Attached are excerpts from our work on the concept of conflict. (SO 002 078 is related.) (Author/JLB)