It all began during the Red Scare in the 1950's. Some republicons decided to make political points by demonizing communists and socialists. People were "black listed" and their careers were ruined. Propaganda at the time equated Socialism with Communism, and made it anti-American, anti-capitalism, and anti-"God".

Mention Socialism in this country and you get treated like a child molester.

Our educational system has failed because we are not socialists. We are greedy, kleptocrats, who "want it all & want it now" to quote a Grub Hub commercial. Most Americans believe socialism IS communism tho we tout "community" which is communal.....ist. Bunch of dumb boneheads we are. All of the New Deal safety "social...ism" nets implemented by FDR/LBJ/Carter/Clinton/Obama are being dismantled or hobbled. They love Reagan, Bush, Bush, & now this crook , all the while they are losing the legacy of the demon socialism that takes care of grandma, the indigent, our veterans. The rightists here say the homeless veterans are a result of failed socialism. It is really due to the evisceration of socialist programs that are now dismantled. Capitalism run without checks equals more mentally challenged homeless in the streets, & AMAZON pays no taxes. No Justice! No Peace! 1% owns 84% of the stock market. The rest of us get to scramble for the 16% left as crumbs.

There are NO socialist governments in Europe. You are mistakenly calling free market economies with a welfare state as socialist.

Even with very good and honest people in charge, socialism just doesn't work. You need a free market to accurately value capital investments (von Mises) and only the free market can utilize widely dispersed economic information (von Hayek). Central planning can't do it. Over a period of decades, socialism=poverty.

'Socialist Paranoia' in the U.S. is a real phenomenon. It can be said to date from the 'Great Upheaval' of 1877, the First Red Scare of 1918-1925, and the Second Red Scare of 1947-1992. It is transmitted down to children by their parents, who were inculcated with it by their parents. In America's two-party system, the Democratic Party is currently the preferred party of Libertine (Liberal)- minded bourgeois. While the Republican Party represents the Philistine ("conservative" )-minded bourgeois. Third parties haven't had much of a chance for the past 120 years. So, voters are left with a choice between the pretty stupid, and the extremely stupid. Not much of a choice, eh?
Why is there no strong 'Left', or 'Right' party? Former Reichsfuhrer of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, decided that the best way to prevent the rise of a strong third party, was to keep the Left, and the Right divided, and at odds with one another, by keeping them good and riddled with informants, and agents-provocateurs.
Is the Democratic Party remotely "socialist"? No. But Left-minded types cling to their coattails. Is the Republican Party "fascist"? Traditionally, it was made up of extremely stupid bourgeois, who knew their limits. Now, it is comprised of extremely stupid bourgeois who, under Trump, have now decided there are no limits.
I could rant on, but you get the idea!

That is a very good point.

Americans are alarmists. And ignorant.

Because the word/concept has been demonized for 3+ decades by unrepentant capitalists who want to make a penny off of everything.

It is a generational thing, mainly the Boomers, some older Gen Xers, and some older than we Boomers. Unfortunately the Boomers are still a huge voting block and vote in large numbers. The younger conservatives, not a bright bunch to begin with, buy into that bullshit their parents and grandparents have sold them. American ignorance and arrogance all to often blinds us to what is going on outside of our own borders. IMO