Similarly, capitalism is great in theory but does not work in practice, because people are both greedy and unequal. Fortunately, we have and have nearly always had a mixed economy, which combines elements of both systems, perhaps the best of both.
The dynamics of collectivism are no doubt different in a small community, with both the peer pressure to contribute and the bickering at perceived inequities more personal.
that's a good point. The Iroquois nation was communist. It worked for them until people with guns and smallpox arrived.
it worked for those Iroquois in power in the tribe, communism never works for those outside the party
I just looked this up... having no previous knowledge. they may have had some common ownership of large areas of land, they also had individualism and a confederacy of nations. They seem to have a purposefully weak central govt. Apparently it is thought the founding fathers of the U.S. Rosseau and Locke (yes your Locke) borrowed a lot of ideas from them. I think they sound like today's libertarians and even seem to exhibit some of Plato's idea of benevolent philosophers kings not in it for themselves. Overall far from the communist/fascist models we see in the world today. I got some of the above from here.. http://www.lightparty.com/Spirituality/Iroquois.html