There is precious little difference between socialism and fascism. In fact, the NAZIs where the National Socialist German Workers Party.
They are economic models--all involving government control, directly or indirectly, can be totalitarian and repressive, and with the corrupting influence of power, sooner or later will be.
While the Nazis practiced "National Socialism" politically, their economy was fascist, with private individuals/corporations owning the means of production (and profiting thereby), but taking their marching orders from the government. They arose in power in competition with and opposed to the Communist factions--the other "outsiders" in the Germany of that era.
In socialism, there is a 'public/private partnership' with government ownership of some industry but production centrally planned, and in Communism, the State (allegedly "the people") owns and controls the means of production and the use thereof. To finish the spectrum, on the other end, in pure capitalism, the government is pretty much out of the picture, and private entities and individuals own the means of production and do as they will with those means in anticipation of market factors and profit.
In reality, neither Communism nor Capitalism exist in pure form today, except on the smallest levels. Most governments we have come to regard as "Communist" are actually Socialist. Despite appearances otherwise, the Chinese are increasingly so, although the government (through the PLA) owns much of what is there.
What we have in the US is closer to the fascist model, with the means of production owned by corporations and individuals but so heavily regulated by government that for all practical purposes all but the smallest operations are government controlled. While that thought may be offensive to many who declare us free, as a practical matter, regulations from agencies ranging from OSHA to the EPA, to a host of other diktats declare what expenditure will be made by any business to comply, and make a significant impact, on especially small business.
I will not argue that many of those regulations are there to ensure the health, safety, and ongoing well being of the worker or the community, for those are the good intentions with which they were initially enacted. I will, however state that in my opinion those have left the realm of common sense and are approaching lunacy.
However, those regulations often favor the already large players in the marketplace which can afford to maintain personnel on staff to monitor regulatory changes and the adaptations necessary to maintain compliance, and which can use the economy of scale to obtain more favorable terms on equipment, training, infrastructure, and licenses or fees. Even Obamacare, perhaps a shining example, has damaged the ability of smaller businesses to grow and compete, while at the same time eliminating health insurance options from the marketplace.
That is just the way it is, and those advantages would rest with the larger entities even in a purely capitalist system, but the influence of government policy demanding those expenses would have no effect--Government would be absent, and the expenditures left at the discretion of the businesses, even though many can be well justified in cost savings, employee loyalty, and in good will from the community in which they reside.
Thus, existing, larger, industry is favored over all but the most well capitalized entrepreneur, and often is in close association with the political figures which control the type and intensity of regulation. Those persons who set up those regulations or who pass legislation empowering others to make those rules stand to profit by foreknowledge of those rules, for they are not governed by the same investment constraints ordinary people are--they have inside information and they can use it for fun and profit, or to benefit those they know who will compete in the marketplace, which in turn will inevitably benefit them as favors are returned.
We like to think of ourselves as 'free' and Capitalist, but in practice, there is little that can be made or sold that the government does not have volumes of regulations controlling the production, distribution, manufacture, and design thereof. All that separates us from fascism is the government demanding what is produced, and not just how to do so and the features which must be incorporated.
While that is an important difference, the thinness of that wall is breached every time you put E10 gas in your tank.
