{"product_id":"europes-little-anarchy-steven-press-9781501788130","title":"Europe's Little Anarchy: The Rise and Fall of Neutral Moresnet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEurope's Little Anarchy \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003euncovers the history of Neutral Moresnet: a once-forgotten space without borders, nationalism, or a recognized government. \u003c\/b\u003eBetween 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSteven 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy looking closely at the people and history of Neutral Moresnet, \u003ci\u003eEurope's Little Anarchy\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Steven Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1501788132\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781501788130\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Cornell University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 306\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Steven Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48621628129535,"sku":"9781501788130","price":53.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/europes-little-anarchy-steven-press-9781501788130","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}