ABSTRACT
The origins of French alternative politics lie in the eruption of new left radicalism in 1968. This 'cultural revolution' released a diffuse stream of protest movements and radical groups into a political tradition which was at the same time structured around a bipolarised and disciplined party system, and contained by a highly centralised state. The Green impasse certainly alienated many voters, but when the electoral costs were assimilated, members of both Green parties began to soften their mutual hostility. Lalonde’s reasoned appeal to Les Verts, to open itself to a broader vision of ecologism in order to consolidate their place in the changing political landscape, began to gain wider acceptance within Les Verts. In some ways the events of 1993-1994 brought Green politics in France full circle. The renewed divisions within Green party ranks over its strategic orientation, as well as a continuing debate over ideology opened up by Rocard's overtures, have continued to plague Les Verts.
