"The population exists harmoniously without jealousy, envy or concern for individual advancement. Each individual works for the improvement of the whole, instead of the desires of the individual. The unified government is the social equivalent of a colony of bees."
The ideal of socialism - everybody works for the whole and receives according to one's contribution. The idea that won't happen by merely changing the rules or enforcing government oversight. That has been tried in different shapes and forms, and it has failed miserably. Sure, it starts out super-effective, boosting production. But in those cases the economy side has been largely ignored by the powers that be, resulting in the lack of people who would purchase the produced goods. As usual, it meant that the produced goods would have to be aimed at increasing the strength of the military, and as usual, that has ended up really, really badly.
The big issue was that people did not want to be told exactly what to do and gain next to nothing for it. So they started swindling. The lacking motivation meant lower production and the oversight was too rigid to be of any real use - making people grow corn where it does not grow is an exceptional blunder. And it is also the reason why it hasn't worked and why it won't work for years, if not decades to come. Simply put, society is like a human body. The subconscious decisions, such as sweating and blood circulation happen without 'big' orders from above. They happen whether we think of them or not, they are automatic. In a society, these are the adaption events, making sure everything works efficiently without strict oversight. It is a mechanic of 'raise, raise, lower', it seeks for the optimal temporary value that works for the moment, it does not define a value that has to be strictly followed at all times. The only decisions the brain has to take care of are the actions that do not simply preserve homeostasis. These are the guidelines, what should become more developed, what is no longer of critical value, what overall changes and restructurings are necessary. The importance is great - someone has to guide reactions to severe sudden changes of some conditions, but the responsibility is quite small - it should only interfere when the local 'cells' can no longer continue the way they've been going so far.
The problem herein is that Unification means people think alike. They follow the same guidelines, the same basic principles, the only difference is in the manner of applying those principles. For efficiency, the ruling has to be smoothly transitive, but without conflict. That is to say, nobody stays in power for too long, but the people replacing the people leaving power must be like those new rulers. The change serves as a buffer, it holds back possible dictatorship, and it makes sure many people are experienced enough to lead the country in case of a disaster which renders the current 'guides' inactive. To create a society where everyone has the same ideals you'd have to raise a group of people in similar conditions from birth. Or use faith to brainwash people into believing the same ('Strength through unity, unity through faith'). In any case, it is a strenuous process that does not guarantee positive results. And even if it did, it sounds like a horrible place to live for anyone living right now. Sure, I'd like to see it, but being a part of it is another matter altogether.
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