Also, they had mayors and stuff, a VERY clear class division and were technically under the rule of Gondor after the Northern Kingdom fell but Gondor didn't really have the resources or urge to do any ruling over there. Once Aragorn was in they were essentially an autonomous zone under military protection in exchange for maintaining the local roads and bridges.
No Trots are CIA
Anarchists are State Dept
But MLs are FBI
now this is the secterianism i can get behind
its all inter-agency rivalry
Which one is the NSA?