[Willie Green]

I agree. But it nearly destroyed the colony.

IMHO, the author of this article tries to leave this impression by omitting the circumstances of the Pilgrim's arrival.
Yes, nearly half of the original 102 who came over on the Mayflower perished that first winter.
They were poorly provisioned, especially when their arrival coincided with the onset of winter. It is doubtful any of them would have survived had they not resorted to communal shareing of resources.

IMHO, it's a disservice to posterity to suggest that the communal sharing almost destroyed them when it actually saved them. Once the necessary community infrastructure was established for their mutual safety and security, they made the natural progression to more independent lifestyles. But such independent pursuit of individual desires would have been impossible without first establishing community infrastructure. Together, they survived; individually, they would have surely perished.

[William Terrell]

Together, they survived; individually, they would have surely perished.

On second thought, I don't see how communism saved the colony, even in the first year. Work it out. Whether they were chartered into the communal setup or not, there still had to be meat found, corn grown, shelters built, a dozen chores done.

There were communal tasks to be done, house raisings, barn raisings, which charter or not people would have done communially anyway because people always do these things communally. In this sense you're right about communalism helping in reality, instead of helping in theory.

But all the rest of the necessary things to survive, growing food, hunting, providing heating for a family, working out clothing arrangments, and many other details, chartered to be communal, would have been done anyway by the individuals/families and, if the results of Bradford's change of the setup is any indication, most individuals would have provided a surplus to help any scragglers.

Those that flourished more would have shared. I think most people are compassionate, if given a free choice. And these were Christian, for the most part, and fellow adventurers.

But, to me, the lesson is clear. The colony was on death's bed then land allotments to families and individuals, ending communalism, were introduced and the change was immediate. That argues for a causal relationship.

Do read Bradford. He was there and he wrote it as it happened.