Institut Georges Dumézil
* * * quaerere verum * * *
Conférence Dumézil no. 1
'Micronationalism in the Real World'
Delivered by HE Kevin Baugh, President of the Republic of Molossia
"Micronationalism concerns itself with the proclamation and development of self-created nations, and with their interaction."
-Prince Peter I Ravn of the Sovereign Principality of Corvinia
The modern micronational movement has its roots in every independence movement and quest for sovereignty from antiquity to the present day. Most modern micronations have no real aspirations for independence, however a select few do, even if those aspirations are unlikely to ever be realized. Nevertheless, events have occurred through history demonstrating that individuals can achieve their goal of carving a new state out the old. What follows are two examples of micronationalism in the real world. The individuals concerned would not have used the term "micronation", but the result, whether success or failure, was largely generated by the same drive that possesses modern micronationalists the quest for self-determination.
Militant Micronationalism: The American Filibuster, William Walker
William Walker was an American adventurer from Tennessee. Originally trained as a doctor and a lawyer, Walker was imbued with a strong sense of Manifest Destiny. This drove him in 1853 to mount an expedition to "liberate" portions of northern Mexico, ostensibly to create an independent nation. The eventual goal was to unite this new nation with the United States, after the fashion of Texas, but the expedition ran into supply and support problems, and failed in 1853.
Undaunted, Walker turned his sights further south. In 1855 he mounted an expedition to Nicaragua, which was in the midst of a civil war. Walker allied himself with the Leonese faction of that struggle and with the aid of sixty recruits from California and Leonese troops, he soon succeeded in routing the opposite faction at the battle of Rivas. For his victories here, he was given the title of generalissimo, and soon after he declared himself president of Nicaragua. Walker soon proved to be anything but an able peacetime leader, and managed to aggravate his allies rather promptly. Revolts sprang up over his heavy handed and self-serving policies, and he was forced to surrender after two years in Nicaragua, and return to the United States. Walker returned to Nicaragua again in 1857, for a very short-lived insurrection, followed by a similar expedition to Honduras in 1860 that ultimately cost him his life by firing squad.
A Micronation by Default: Neutral Moresnet
The 1815 Congress of Vienna was charged with reestablishing the borders of Europe following the fall of Napoleon. Along the borders of Prussia and the Netherlands (an area that is now a part of Belgium) was a disputed area around a zinc mine near Kelmis. As neither of the two countries wanted the other one to own this mine, they negotiated for a year, and in 1816 it was decided that the territory would be divided into three parts. Moresnet went to the Netherlands, the present Neu-Moresnet became part of Prussia under the name of Prussian Moresnet and the little area with the village Kelmis and the zinc mine got a neutral status. It was this area with its special status that continued to exist, under the governance of a Prussian and a Dutch commissioner, as a mini state under the name Neutral Moresnet. Though the commissioners supervised the territory, the local mayor exercised actual authority. Boundary markers were placed, and the armies of Prussia and the Netherlands were prohibited from entering the area. In 1883 an unofficial flag was adopted, and stamps and coins were briefly issued.
Around the turn of the century, a prominent Moresnet citizen, Dr. Wilhelm Molly, conceived the idea of turning Neutral Moresnet into the Esperanto Free State "Amikejo" (friendship place). In 1908 a large rally was held in support of Amikejo, in the pavilion of the local shooting association. The complete population was drummed up and in the decorated hall glowing speeches were given for the establishment of the Esperanto Free State. These plans never came to fruition as the end was already drawing near for Neutral Moresnet. The justification of Neutral Moresnet's existence had ended when the zinc mine was depleted. Prussia made several efforts to end Moresnet's neutrality, including sabotaging power and water lines. As sovereignty seemed unreachable, beginning in 1900 the local residents petitioned to become a part of neighboring Belgium. The wheels turned slowly, and little had happened by 1914. In that year the plan for annexation was preempted by World War I, during which Germany occupied Moresnet. The Versailles Treaty in 1919 drew the final curtain for Neutral Moresnet. The former neutral territory officially became a part of Belgium, and 50 border markers and a small museum are all that remain of this unique chapter in European history.
The lessons of history still apply to our modern micronational movement. Though failure ended both of these efforts, it needn't have been that way. Had William Walker been a more able administrator in peacetime as he was generalissimo in war, he may have established a dynasty in Nicaragua and changed the face of that nation forever. Moresnet's destiny was tied to its zinc mine, but it could have sought a different path. The general angst of Europe during the years before the Great War pushed the tiny neutral territory to seek the protection of Belgium. Had the war not occurred, or, had the citizens of that region been more adept at negotiating the currents of European politics like Liechtenstein, Moresnet may yet be independent.
Our micronational avocation may at times seem trivial or eccentric, but its heart is that of thousands of individuals seeking self-determination. Taken lightly, this movement is comprised of eccentrics spending too much time on the computer. But from such small beginnings (witness "Yahoo") empires have been built, and such may be the case for micronationalism in the not too distant future.