The aftermath of the disputed presidential elections in June 2009 stunned not only the world but also the leaders of the Islamic Republic. Whereas on the surface, the elections seem to have ushered in a second term for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the street demonstrations as well as the acts of resistance and defiance by those who continue to argue that their 'vote was stolen', show that the elections have, in fact, helped to broaden the base and appeal of a reformist opposition movement which having been considered largely ineffective if not 'dead' by 2006, has now been given new life in its most recent reincarnation as the 'Green Movement.' This paper considers the genealogy of the Green Movement. More specifically, it examines the reformist movement from its earliest days on two levels, as discourse and as political project. That is, by using the reformist press as the main source of enquiry, this paper will, in the first place, discuss what was understood by reform and reformism in the early years, at the height of the movement between 1998 and 2000, and thus outline its key components and principles. It will, in particular, delineate the debate that took place among reformists such as Said Hajjarian, Alireza Alavitabar, Abbas Abdi and Seyyed Morteza Mardiha (among others) regarding the definition of 'reform' as opposed to 'revolution', and argue that the reformist discourse, from the outset, was neither pre-packaged nor its parameters well-defined. In fact, its main characteristic was its multi-vocality as well as the fact that it lacked ideology. Secondly, by examining the instances when reformism emerged as a political project, that is as a means to achieve power, as in the cases of Muhammad Khatami's two presidencies, or the recent presidential campaign of Mir-Hossein Moussavi in summer 2009, this paper will assess the paradoxes and inconsistencies of the reformist movement on the one hand, and on the other, speculate on its ability to adapt and adjust to changing times.