RealClearPolitics has an article about the kibbutz movement in Israel, which comes from Deutsche Welle. As described, a kibbutz comes very close to being pure socialism in action, on a modest scale.
You might realistically conclude Israelis are among the few people to ever make collective farms a success, Perhaps Mennonites are another, about whom COTTonLINE is less well informed.
Most efforts at collectivism have failed, in places as different as Russia, China, Cuba, Vietnam and the U.S. Collectivism isn't nearly as prevalent in Scandinavia as outsiders think.
It is likely the underlying culture of the people involved needs certain characteristics to ensure success. Apparently the culture of many European Jews contained the requisite factors.
