Socialism has never, to my knowledge, been put into practice anywhere. In all the places that claimed to be Socilaist or Communist, there was always a strong central authority making all the decisions and passing them down. That is Fascism, not Socialism. Socialism is when communities make the decisions for themselves, then work with their neighbours, while the 'government' does no more than facilitate and ensure fair dealing. Think Hobbits and the Shire.