This report by an American living in Sweden (seen first on Ace of Spades) well supports my thesis that socialism can work for a time, if the population is small, homogenous and hard-working.  If people are naturally industrious and minded to look out for each other, then the free-rider problem isn’t so severe.  But the problem is, socialism works to undermine the very characteristics that make it work in the first place- it attracts malingerers, discourages thrift and responsibility, and causes its own collapse.  Immigrants come in to take advantage of the free welfare, or if immigration is somehow restricted, their own children grow up not learning the value of hard work.  Ultimately group loyalty becomes completely undermined, more and more people free-ride, and eventually math wins, as it always does.