Thank you, aruanan, for the reference to “The Road to Serfdom.” It looks like a good read. And thank all you FReepers for a great discussion! I have to go to bed now, so won’t be able to reply to any posts until tomorrow, but if you have any recommendations to books that might enlighten me regarding the development of the various strands of socialism/fascism, both American and European, I would very much appreciate it. Have a good night!