I didn’t say the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact contributed to the growth of the Nazis. I said it demonstrated that the authoritarian leftists were perfectly content to invade other countries when invited by authoritarian fascists. They could have had a non-aggression pact that didn’t involve mutual aggression against Poland, Soviet aggression against the Baltic states, and…well, whoops, Stalin actually violated the pact by attacking Romania, but whatever.

It’s true that American businesses did business with Nazi Germany before the U.S. entered the war. They didn’t just give them money, but, well, that is what companies do: they sell goods and services, make loans, and otherwise engage in business trying to get money. Obeying ethical principles is permitted only when doing so maximizes shareholder value. That this was seen as scandalous once the war broke out is unsurprising; that it was hidden is shameful; the U.S. should have put a stop to it sooner; and none of this is as bad as actually attacking Poland and Romania and so on.

It’s not that capitalism doesn’t have its egregious flaws. It’s just that the authoritarian leftist actions here were atrocious, not noble. And yet, when backed into a corner, the Soviets defeated the Nazis, and for that we do owe them gratitude.

But a limited gratitude, as the lesser of two evils may still be not very good.