It Can’t Happen Here

Published during the heyday of fascism in Europe, ‘It Can’t Happen Here’ is a chilling cautionary tale by one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century, which is still startlingly relevant almost a century later. Charting the rise to power of Berzelius ‘Buzz’ Windrip, who whips his supporters into a frenzy while promising drastic reform under a banner of patriotism and traditional values, ‘It Can’t Happen Here’ decries the tactics used by politicians to mobilise voters, and exposes the danger of authoritarianism arising from populist platforms, and the chaos such regimes can leave in their wake. A vain, unconventional, vehemently anti-immigrant demagogue wins the US presidency, promising poor and angry voters that he will make America prosperous once more. Sound familiar? Sinclair Lewis’ satirical novel, written as Hitler and Mussolini grew in power, was meant as a commentary on European fascism but has since found terrifying resonance closer to home for American readers.