They can't have come across Chairman Mao then  

Now there's a man that knew a thing or two about communes.



The change may or may not come from within, facilitated by technological advance.

My feeling is that it will come both from within, and from without. ie. peasant revolts against US exploitation in places like Ecuador, Iraq, Nigeria etc. cutting off the cheap natural resources currently helping to artificially bloat the average US citizens standard of living (which they themselves think is all down to the efficacy of the free market   ).