Why aren't university fees collectively paid in some countries?

In the US, when our university system developed, in the 1800's, nothing was really paid for by the government. Big government at the time was seen as a tool for the aid of big business, not something to help the people. That changed in the early 1900's, but our university system didn't. And as the cold war started, Americans became frustratingly weary of anything that anybody could make an argument had anything remotely to do with communism or even it's moderate cousin, socialism. Socialized education, therefore, never happened. We did develop State universities and many of them are very good and a LOT cheaper than private universities, but they are still way more expensive than most universities in Europe. And if you attend from out of state, you pay a lot more.