After a short introduction on the genesis and development of the general consociational democracy model, the paper discusses: 1. the extent to which the Netherlands did embody the consociational democracy model as developed by Arend Lijphart at the end of the 1960s; 2. social changes since then which have caused the crumbling of the once distinct subcultures; 3. attempts at a majoritarian restructuring of the Dutch political system; 4. attacks on corporatist structures in the name of partisan) electoral primacy; 5. persisting consociational features of the system, rooted in elite political culture on the one hand, and strong traditions of autonomy for minorities on the other. A separate appendix discusses the extent to which changed social circumstances have affected the role of political parties. [author's abstract]