Below are links that provides a picture of the United States during economic times when at war, and between wars. Please note that Soviet Union, and China, to some degree, gave up on the idea of total communist control (not totally/completely yet) and have opted to do oil /gas in Russia, and become a world banker, and industrialist in China.
Much better to view Socialist ideas as an experimentation, or a hybrid social manifestation that grows when areas of the social garden are not cared for properly-not a good idea to have weeds growing in the garden-some weeds obviously are quite aggressive, and opportunistic, and are not beneficial to a planned economic order, i.e., democratically, or economically, e.g., quality of life issues for all, as the past so clearly demonstrates.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_hist...e_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States...ng_World_War_II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War