Most everyone has heard the term "group mentality." This of course, refers to the way that humans behave in groups, as opposed to on their own. To generalize, we become idiots who will do things blindly without wondering why. I'm not being mean, I've caught myself doing the same thing, even here very recently.
When in group settings, people cease to think for themselves. Part of our brains tell us "hey, this person's doing something, let's follow their example!" As a result, we get large groups of people behaving like idiots.
Part of this may be from self doubt and self image. We are somewhat unsure of what we should be doing, and do not wish to stand out in any negative light, so we follow the leader. The leader is the other part. Some could be from simple misunderstanding, and acting on impulse. The other portion may be from people who, frankly, are not the brightest crayons in the box. They do not stop to think about what is the correct thing to do, but simply follow the first thought that pops into their brain. Then the people around him see this and follow suit so they don't look stupid.
I have found myself wondering about things lately (this is all Sparky's fault, by the way. He lent me a book, 1984 by George Orwell) and governments, some real, some fictional/potential, make me wonder how much of this is due to group mentality. All it takes is a small number of individuals to get things moving in the right direction. People from con artists to politicians and rulers have used this trick for ages, planting or seeding the crowd with a few scattered individuals to set the mood. As powerful a tool as this is, I have trouble believing that this could be a lasting solution with any population of people larger than a small town which is addressed regularly by such as a mayor or religious figure (think big cults). However, to mix in isolation of the population from outside influences and information, as well as propaganda, and there exists a potential for quite a convoluted society.
Much of this could be averted or reverted by individuals forcing themselves to not follow the crowd, to think things through themselves. Confidence in one's reason is a must for this. However, if one was trapped in an isolated, propaganda riddled society, one's view of reality could rapidly be altered. To ensure and enable this, as well as for other various reasons not pertaining to the topic, there must always be at least two powers in the world around us. Without the other's perspective and reality check, one homogenous society would fall into serious problems, most of which may well be unintentional. With the opposition to both call the bluffs and to offer an alternative viewpoint, it would be difficult to fall too far away from an honest society. However, isolating an entire society would negate these effects.
In this way, despite my personal desires, I know that it is neither wise nor practical for there to be a single governing power on the planet. While a coalition, such as the United Nations, could be both a transition into a single nation and a binding force to keep nations in check, it is not feasible to coalesce into a single entity, until one of two things happens. One would be colonies on other astrological bodies: the moon, Mars, and what not. The other would be contact with a space-faring civilization that is more or less technologically equal to our own. With the first scenario, the different planetary bodies could form separate governments which could (given enough time of course) keep each other in check. With the alien scenario, it would have a unifying force upon humanity, although if the civilization is significantly more advanced or powerful than our own, we would be wiped out one way or the other (look to human history, with every indigenous race that encountered a more advanced culture). If they were less advanced, they would be doomed. Of course all of that would take a great deal of time to accomplish.
As usual, I've rambled away from my point, but just keep in mind it's not usually best to just blindly follow the crowd. Now, if you're in an especially foreign culture, often as not its best to take your clues from the crowd, but if you understand most or all of what's going on around you (especially the language), just make yourself stop and think.
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