... I will provide a connection between the old Dutch social system and philosophy of Verzuiling, or “Pillarization”, and the possibility of wrestling control away from centralized bureaucracies in favor of more local forms of governance. Providing this connection becomes of importance once one realizes that the comparative power of centralized states—such as the Federal government of the USA—have historically accumulated their power not merely on basis of military buildup, but on basis of creating a convincing narrative that centralized coercive power has a just place in society....
The old system of pillarization in the 20th century was based on the teachings of Dutch Neo-Calvinist Abraham Kuyper, which are based on the concept of “Sovereignty of own circle”. ...its philosophical foundation nonetheless served as a bulwark against individualism; [sic] secularization, and political centralization.
...the Dutch peoples separated themselves into four “pillars”, namely the Catholic; Protestant; Socialist, and the Liberal pillar. Each of these pillars—partially on basis of mutual aid—created their own specific institutions such as schools; hospitals; unions; newspapers, and radio stations.
Out of the four pillars, only the Classically Liberal pillar formally refused to consider itself one. This rejection of pillarization was due to the liberals’ individualistic objection to the very system of pillarization itself. Contrary to the current libertarian perception of classical liberalism, their conflation between liberty and democratic parliamentarianism is an ironic happenstance of history; and one that gradually eroded a great many liberties by using the liberal concept of “the people’s will” as a justification for continuously expanding the state’s reach beyond its previous boundaries. It is, therefore, no coincidence that the classical liberalism of the late 19th century gave way to the more modern forms of social-liberalism and social-democracy.
The narrative one could gain from this era of Dutch history is this; if the ever-expanding erosion of civil liberties under the state is to be halted, it is essential that people start forming communities again. Instead of advocating the abstract concept of rationalistic individualism, one should advance the virtue of communal and family values; local traditions and sovereignty, and the use of civil society—rather than the exclusive use of governmentally-influenced markets—to create public goods and institutions. This does not necessarily mean that local isolationism is the key, but the establishment of the aforementioned values could generate a level of social cohesion to such an extent that most narratives favoring centralization naturally become either laughable or outrageous....
...If there is to be any future of bottom-up liberty, it will have to originate from traditional communities with their own institutions and a clear sense of identity, not from any philosophy relying on materialistic and globalist individualism.