Pilarisation

the pilarisation (of Dutch “verzuiling”), employed in a political context, refers to a system of social organization and polititic existing in Belgium and to the Netherlands. The companies of Northern Ireland, of Austria, Malta or Israel also know close systems.

In Belgium

Historically, Belgium (as the Netherlands) is a country where the great security questions were generally settled by compromises, explicit or not, between groups resulting from the philosophical tendencies present in the country. Contrary to a country like the France, evolutions rather than revolutions. Until the middle of the 19th century, two philosophical tendencies resulting from the conflicts which opposed as of the Middle Ages nobility/catholic and middle-classes/laic, animated the social life and policy of the country. The socialist movement was different starting from the Années 1880 and from the Social question . Then constituted of the whole of associations, sociologiquement called pillars , to answer either the aspirations of the elite of the beginning of the century but of the whole of the population: political parties, trade unions, reciprocities, Non-profit-making associations, youth movements, religious organizations, hospital, schools then universities, media,… the importance of these movements and their proximity of the political power their in particular made it possible to gain during the history an integration within the official structures (ex: the trade unions in Belgium can distribute the unemployment pays, the sector disease of the social security is left with reciprocities,…).

It was thus possible for a citizen to quasi exclusively evolve/move within social environment and institutional related to the one of the pillars, this independently of its social status.

Three large pillars can result identified, from the great social questions and policies which animated the history of Belgium:

the pillar liberal (line and laic)
the pillar socialist (of left and laic)
the pillar socio-Christian (religious and center)

As example, there historically existed in Belgium 6 universities, distinguished in 3 different natures and two linguistic modes: catholics (French-speaking UCL and Flemish KUL), close to the Free examination (French-speaking ULB and Flemish VUB) and universities of state (French-speaking ULg and Flemish RUG). Other institutions were created, of the regroupings were operated since the Années 1990, and these historical distinctions have from now on a less importance.

Some typical examples of pilarisation in the Belgian context:

According to the raised political questions, these three political tendencies in addition were regularly constituted in two blocks, variable according to the problems: center-left vis-a-vis the right-hand side, center right vis-a-vis the left, laic vis-a-vis the monks. The majorities/political oppositions in Belgium remain often animated according to these distinctions. The federal government 1999-2004 for example, known as “rainbow”, included/understood a laic majority liberal-Socialist-ecologist, with the center social-Christians in the opposition. The political action of this government related little to left-right-hand side questions, but has for example considering the adoption of the Homosexual marriage, unimaginable at the time in a majority which would have included/understood a political party socio-Christian.

The government coalitions in Belgium are generally qualified according to the pillars which compose them:

Coalition rainbow (liberal, socialist and ecologists, laic)
Coalition red-Roman (socialist and social-Christians, of left)
Coalition violet (liberal and socialist, laic)
orange-blue Coalition (liberal and social-Christians)

This form of organization in the form of “pillars” however strongly attenuated following the phenomenon of “depilarisation” and Dépolitisation of the company. The trade unions and reciprocities remain however largely organized according to these “pillars”.

It should be noted that the philosophical tendencies appeared in Belgium end of the 20th century (écologisme, Islam) did not generate significant pillars. The Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang on the other hand developed certain features of pilarisation.

In addition, the abandonment by the Christian democrats of the Christian reference for the name of the " humanistic democratic Center " directly contributed to the creation of a new party keeping this reference, the " Christian French-speaking democrats. The new reference to humanism is in addition somewhat incongruous in the context of the pilarisation, returning a priori to the laic liberal pillar.

The question of the languages in Belgium can also be under consideration under the angle of the pilarisation, in particular with capital Brussels, where the two communities Dutch-speaking and French-speaking are geographically mixed.

In the Netherlands

In another form, the pilarisation also exists with the Netherlands. The pillars of the Netherlands are four:

Christian liberal catholic
Christian protesting
socialist

The following table presents the principal institutions classified by pillar:

See too

Internal bonds

Political of Belgium
Political system of Political Belgium
of Pas-Bas

External bonds

Churches, State and “pilarisation” - pilarisation in the Netherlands, diplomatic Le Monde

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