Depoliticising society by transforming proletarians into entrepreneurs had long been a central goal of European neoliberals. Mitigating the 'sensitivity and instability' of mass society, according to Roepke, required a policy of 'decentralization, de-proletarianization, the anchoring of men in their own resources, encouragement to small farmers and small business, increased property ownership, and the strengthening of the middle classes'.

Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, loc. 986