I'm not sure what to think of this quote, given that Coolidge was one of the architects of the Depression!

Yes, the big industrialists of America were perfectly happy to work both sides of WWII. After all, its all money, and most of them were sociopaths with no sympathy for real people (a trait many of them still have). They first fell madly in love with Mussolini in the 20s (before Hitler's rise), who replaced government officials with representatives of the largest Italian corporations. Business in Italy was booming. Unfortunately, there continues to be confusion between Socialism and Fascism. They are opposite ends of the spectrum socialism comes from the left and is focused on the working class. Fascism is a product of the far right and inextricably tied to out-of-control capitalism. Yes, the Nazis used the term socialist but never trust what a government or political party calls ITSELF. A groups label is a form of propaganda, and they all want to sound appealing to their societies. Many of the ordinary people of Germany, originally attracted by socialist ideals, were furious with Hitler for abandoning socialist principles but not dropping the hypocrisy of the label. It was Mussolini, who originated the doctrine (and the word) of Fascism, who later identified Hitler's Germany as similarly fascist (which is why they both joined the Axis.) The USSR and Cuba are supposedly socialist, but why no socialist party? Just the communist. And it's the Peoples Republic of China. REPUBLIC? It's a dictatorship! And the people hardly matter! East Germany called itself the German Democratic Republic. The ONLY thing accurate about THAT label was German! And, yes, as the US drifts toward a police state and military hegemony, we need to recognize that neither of those is compatible with democracy, and history is repeating itself.