Grassroots to Government: The Extraordinary Evolution of Germany's Green Party

This paper explores and seeks to answer the question of how a once small party—barely on the periphery of politics—become one of the most successful Green parties, within one of the world’s biggest economically and politically dominant countries? By looking at the history of the German Green Party and its roots in environmental social movements, the political structure and electoral process of the nation, and the rhetoric and language used by parties and politicians, I argue that Germany was uniquely situated for the Greens to succeed to the extent they have. Since its foundation, the Green Party has been an exemplar of the success that is possible when a political party is willing to be adaptable to its environment and a changing world.Bachelor of Art