The Icelandic Commonwealth Was No Libertarian Utopia

The Icelandic Commonwealth has been cited as a successful implementation of anarcho-capitalism. In a list of anarchist communities appearing in Wikipedia, it was by far the longest lived. It lasted about 330 years. The next longest surviving example is Whiteway Colony, founded in 1898. As part of the United Kingdom, it is not politically independent and is in any case no longer explicitly anarchist. This colony, inspired by the ideals of Tolstoy, was explicitly anti-capitalist and cannot be cited as an economic success. The lack of property rights resulted in stunted economic growth and delayed the introduction of modern conveniences such as running water and electricity.

The Icelandic Commonwealth can hardly be seen as a libertarian utopia. A look at sagas written during the time reveals blood feuds and slavery. Information about the sagas can be found here and here. It seems that the political institutions within Iceland were not particularly successful at quelling internal violence. A combination of this internal violence and external pressure lead the ruling elite to accept the rule of the king of Norway, thus ending Icelandic independence. In short, the Commonwealth was neither particularly successful, nor libertarian.

The absence of any good historical examples of successful implementation of anarcho-capitalist ideals does not prove that these ideals can never be realized, although it does justify skepticism. Building the institutions that would be necessary to govern such a society would take a lot of time and effort even if the end goal is achievable, which is by no means certain.