Among the factors leading to civil war in C?te d'Ivoire, the main factor has been a growing combativeness in political discourse since the advent of the multiparty system in 1990 and especially since the death of Houphou??t-Boigny in 1993. This had a divisive effect on both public opinion and civil society. As a result, further politicization of Ivorian society occurred, through increasing of confrontations and a greater acceptance by society of the use of violence. The author here examines some significant debates and events regarding political life in C?te d'Ivoire that testify to the gravity of antagonisms stirred up over the course of years.