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.
Your right. Anti-anarchism is wrecker shit, and the anarchists on this site do more irl praxis in a week than my shut-in ass is likely to do my whole life.