: This necessity for collective effort (you can't build a dike alone) led to a culture of egalitarianism and the "polder model," where all voices are included in national conversations to reach workable compromises.
The book identifies several key factors that have shaped the Dutch identity:
: A central thesis is that the ongoing struggle to reclaim land from the sea and prevent flooding has forced the Dutch to become masters of cooperation, pragmatism, and consensus-building.