THE BIRTH OF MODERN HEALTH-INSURANCE FUNDS

The abolition of the guilds was naturally a direct threat to the social safety net provided by guild and apprentices’ funds in the Netherlands. However, political revolution did not diminish the need for solidarity and mutual support among the members of individual professions. New forms of solidarity soon emerged, under all manner of titles. These new organisations often built on the traditions of the craft guilds, in particular the journeymen’s and apprentices’ associations. In some cases, the new organisations were actually a direct continuation of guilds, which were attempting to survive entirely or partly in secret and preserve their structures