Commentary In 1979, historian Clarence B. Carson (1926–2003) published a book titled “The World in the Grip of an Idea.” The idea that Carson explored was collectivism in its various forms—e.g., fascism, socialism, communism, to which we can add today, environmentalism. Collectivistic ideas certainly have a strong grip on America today, and particularly on the left. In this article, I will pinpoint the genesis of today’s looming and booming socialist movement. It all springs from a single idea that has been gradually transforming the nature of our society and our polity for over a century. A Government’s Duty In books published before “The World in the Grip of an Idea,” Carson identified the germ of today’s collectivism as “meliorism.” Adapted from the Latin adjective “melior” (“better”), meliorism is the belief that it’s the government’s duty to improve the economic well-being of citizens. (If you wish to read a detailed account …