Putting up socialist posters for the 1918 elections. In the first half of the 20th century, society in the Netherlands was strongly divided into different social groups. The group (pillar) to which people belonged depended on their religious creed and ideology. Each pillar had its own church, political party, newspaper and magazine. Roman Catholics were assumed not to read magazines such as Het Leven, if only because of the infamous bathing issues. Het Leven was not linked to a pillar but was associated more with the general or liberal school of thought, although it did focus more on social democratic matters than, for example, religious matters.

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