On the converse to a theorem of Atiyah and Bott

Let G be a complex reductive group and let C be a smooth curve of genus at least one. We prove a converse to a theorem of Atiyah-Bott concerning the stratification of the space of holomorphic G-bundles on C. In case the genus of C is one, we establish that one has a stratification in the strong sense. The paper concludes with a characterization of the minimally unstable strata in case G is simple.