An idea that has been with me for much of my life. Two Victories, Two Futures: Why Europe Rejected Fascism and America Forgot Europe’s post-WWII consensus established Nazis as the ultimate absolute evil, creating a stabilizing moral framework that helped prevent fascism’s return. But in the U.S., that clarity was lost. WWII wasn’t just a victory; it was an economic windfall. With old empire money flooding in and the U.S. emerging as a superpower, Americans had a more conflicted relationship with the war’s aftermath. Instead of fully internalizing anti-fascism, the U.S. absorbed Nazi personnel (Operation Paperclip), admired their military efficiency, and pivoted to a new enemy: communism. As the Cold War took priority, authoritarianism became acceptable when it served U.S. interests. Over time, this eroded the distinction between fascism and other ideologies, leaving a vacuum where some Americans now openly question whether the Nazis were really that bad, or even mistake them for a “leftist” movement. The result? A country that once fought fascism now sees elements of it creeping back under different branding. Europe, despite its current struggles, at least maintained a moral line until immense interference from across the Atlantic started to work recently. The U.S. let theirs blur in the name of power and profit. Is there still a path back to moral clarity, or has the American understanding of fascism been permanently distorted?