The Death Ship
The Death Ship (German title: Das Totenschiff) is a novel by the pseudonymous author known as B. Traven. Originally published in German in 1926, and in English in 1934...Set just after World War One, The Death Ship describes the predicament of merchant seamen who lack documentation of citizenship and cannot find legal residence or employment in any nation. (src: Wikipedia)
An interesting novel on a subject that is still very much a point of contention today. I'll have to read it (when it arrives from Amazon).
Following the Wikipedia link to passport I learned something more. I'd thought that passports came about during/after World War I, but in fact they were only formalized then. *However* they had been used primarily as documents permitting *inland* travel, seaports were considered open trading points. I presume the open nature of seaports changed during World War I, and hence our merchant seamen's predicament.
On the topic of new countries or sovereign cities, I've often thought the defining nature should not be "laissez faire/libertarian" (although the governence should be setup as such, of course) but that it is an open and free international city (port).
An interesting novel on a subject that is still very much a point of contention today. I'll have to read it (when it arrives from Amazon).
Following the Wikipedia link to passport I learned something more. I'd thought that passports came about during/after World War I, but in fact they were only formalized then. *However* they had been used primarily as documents permitting *inland* travel, seaports were considered open trading points. I presume the open nature of seaports changed during World War I, and hence our merchant seamen's predicament.
On the topic of new countries or sovereign cities, I've often thought the defining nature should not be "laissez faire/libertarian" (although the governence should be setup as such, of course) but that it is an open and free international city (port).