Book excerpt: This book examines the factors determining the character, depth, scope and outcomes of changes made by political parties in the aftermath of electoral losses. It considers not only the objective aspects of party organisation and its features and structure, in explaining post-defeat party change, but also includes findings on the perceptions and interpretations of electoral results within political parties. Based on an extensive fieldwork, the authors propose a new analytical perspective to establish whether and under what conditions and circumstances an electoral defeat leads to a profound party makeover.