Europe's Little Anarchy

Europe's Little Anarchy uncovers the history of Neutral Moresnet: a once-forgotten space without borders, nationalism, or a recognized government. Between 1815 and 1919, this square mile of land wedged between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany was home to thousands of people living off the grid, free of taxation and oversight. But they also had no political status, police, legal currency, proper law courts, or government presence in sectors like public health, infrastructure maintenance, or education. Meanwhile, practical control over Neutral Moresnet lay in the hands of the local industry: a for-profit, multinational mining company that, because it owned rights to the land, also held a near monopoly on the supply of high-quality zinc to the rest of the world.

Steven Press explores how the residents of Neutral Moresnet sought to improve their quality of life, appealing to Germany and Belgium to "harden" regional borders and forcibly occupy their land. Others, he reveals, pushed to found an independent microstate on the example of Monaco. By the start of the twentieth century, the populace also had to reckon with criminal elements looking to take advantage of the legal vacuum to establish a network of brothels and distilleries – sometimes with deadly consequences.

By looking closely at the people and history of Neutral Moresnet, Europe's Little Anarchy challenges the definition of what a country is, who belongs within it, and what happens when no one is truly in charge. In today's world of shifting borders and stateless zones, this forgotten experiment feels newly relevant and offers much-needed context for the current political and international landscape.

Steven Press is Associate Professor of History at Stanford University and an affiliated member of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Center for African Studies, and the Stanford Center for Law and History. He is the author of Blood and Diamonds and Rogue Empires.