In 1981, the French Left came to power with a project to transform society. By 1983, French economic policy underwent a dramatic reversal as the government moved from its reform agenda to an economic orthodoxy that won the accolades of the business press throughout Europe. What brought on this seachange in orientation and political philosophy? Bringing together some of the most renowned scholars of French politics and society, The Mitterrand Era explores the political effects of policy change. It examines the transformation in the composition, organization, and orientation of the French Left under the presidency of Franois Mitterrand. The essays probe the breakdown of traditional party and union strategies, the constraints of party politics, the challenges of economic policy, the attempts to forge new political discourses, and the new challenges (focused around issues of race, gender, and ecology) for the respectable Left.