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It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 2 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #2254 in Arts, #45729 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

It Can't Happen Here, A Warning Against Facism by Sinclair Lewis

 

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis is a great fictional novel that serves as a prophetic warning to the United States that shows the danger of Fascism that can creep up even in the U.S.  Published in 1935, it is considered Lewis's last great work, and had a play adapted from it, as well.

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis 

Sinclair Lewis Dystopia | Political Dystopia | Sinclair Lewis Politics

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis is a political novel focusing around a folksy, self-conscious plain spoken Southern politician named Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip rises to power during a period of profound unrest in America, appealing to the "common man" of the American voters.

At this time (in a very pre-World War II setting) the United States is facing a slew of its worst existential crises to date, and the American people, once sunny, confident, and striving, are now scared, angry, and disillusioned.

Buzz Windrip appears to be a regular guy, personable, easy to get along with, and reasonable. He claimed to want America to be whatever one wanted, the land of the free and the brave, better than all others. Guided by his secretary Lee Sarason, he cozies up to the electorate by stoking their disdain for fancy ideas and encouraging them to follow their hearts, not their minds.

When Windrip is elected, all hell breaks loose. The dissent is crushed, the Bill of Rights is gutted as he stacks the Supreme Court, blame is placed on foreigners and war is declared (on Mexico), and "rehabilitation" (labor) camps are established to help shore up Windrip's vaunted "New Freedom," which toted the beauty of American freedom and branded anyone who disagreed or even questioned the President, as anti-freedom and anti-America while quietly killing freedom.

All that's really left of the old America are the flags and patriotic ditties, which for many is more than enough because they have others to blame. The blame falls on the "it can't happen here" crowd, those who have yet to realize that being American doesn't change your human nature.

Sinclair Lewis wanted to make the point that Americans are not inherently better than others. Whatever it is in human nature that attracts people to tyranny is in Americans like it's in anyone else.

The problem is that Americans are arrogant and oblivious, and so saying they have freedom is enough that they don't believe tyranny can happen in their country, even as it is going on right in front of their eyes.

Windrip's most formidable task, convincing Americans to renounce bedrock democratic principles, was already accomplished well before he took power. The United States was ripe for a Fascist takeover, it was just waiting for its moment. Through a combination of influences-his easy bearing chief among them (along with massive cash donations from Big Business, spineless disorganization in the liberal opposition, a stuffy aloof opponent, and support from religious fanatics who felt like they've been unfairly marginalized)-he wins the presidential election (sound familiar?).

Once in, he appoints his close personal friends and political advisers to high-level positions, stocks the Supreme Court with 'surprisingly unknown lawyers' who called him by his first name, takes away most of the power of Congress under the guise of national security, allows Big Business to dictate economic policy, consolidates the media to a few rich corrupt owners, and fills newspapers with syndicated gossip from Hollywood to keep everyone distracted.

Newspapermen worry that America is moving backward to a time when anti-German politicians renamed sauerkraut "Liberty Cabbage" and "hick legislators"...set up shop as scientific experts and made the world laugh itself sick by forbidding the teaching of true science while silencing real scientists,'' but newspaper readers, wary of excessive negativity, stop paying attention, even when journalists who don't tow the line start disappearing.

Given the nature of "powerful and secret enemies" of America, who are always hiding infiltrated in your neighborhood, and always on the verge of "planning their last charge" to take away our freedom, always hiding around the next corner-an indefinite state of crisis is declared, with freedom tossed aside "until the threat passes."

The President assures this is for America's own safety, and as soon as the threat is over, the freedoms will come back.

Sure, some say these methods are extreme, but enemies are around everywhere, and since everyone is permanently in danger, and plain folks are tired of wishy-washy leaders, and feel the president's decisiveness is good leadership in a time of emergency-not a Fascist takeover.

Besides, as one man says, a Fascist dictatorship "couldn't happen here in America...we're a country of freemen!"

Copies of "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis 

A good place to find used and new copies--even some first editions that are in pretty good shape.

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Can It Happen Here in the United States? 

Reading It Cant Happen Here really makes you look at both political parties and begin to wonder, could Facsim sneak into the United States?

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List of Sinclair Lewis Links 

For more information on Sinclair Lewis, his works, and the antique value of his novels.
Ultimate Sinclair Lewis web page
I spent months putting this together, and it is one of the best pages on Sinclair Lewis that you will find online.
Our Mr Wrenn
One of the very few pages on the Sinclair Lewis novel "Our Mr. Wrenn."
Main Street
A web page on Sinclair Lewis's Main Street, the novel that put him on the map.
Upton Sinclair
Famous author of "The Jungle" and early mentor to Sinclair Lewis, the two authors are commonly mixed up.

So Let's Fight About It! 

Here's a chance to give your opinion on whether Facism can sneak into the United States or not--but please keep it civil! No name calling or foul language or else I'm going to have to be the mean 5th grade teacher who erases comments.

Is Facism sneaking into the United States?

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Yes, it's been happening for years now!

Monteath says:

It's sad, but it's been happening thanks to both parties. Every cellphone has a GPS chip that the government has a code to track, phones are tapped without warrants, and gun restrictions are constantly being voted on while all the news is controlled by 2-3 people. Real democracy is hard to find on the national level.

No, people are just overreacting!

 
 
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New copies of It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis 

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis has remained so relevant that it is still re-printed to this day.

It Can't Happen Here

The newest paperback printing of Sinclair Lewis's classic political novel.

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 08/08/2008)

It Can't Happen Here (Collier reprint)

An early collector's edition of Sinclair Lewis.

Amazon Price: (as of 08/08/2008)

Can it Happen Here? 

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It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis - Still Alive and Remembered 

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
Read It: It Can't Happen Here I did about a year or so ago. I'm not saying this is going to happen or whatever beacause the book is OBVIOUSLY meant to be something along the lines of 1984 (even though it predates it) in that it is an ...
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
Forum: Politics Posted By: fornicon Post Time: 08-01-2008 at 04:01 AM.
WHAT WE REALLY KNOW, WE DON'T!
Sinclair Lewis called his book, ?It Can't Happen Here?; the other was, "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle) by Adolf Hitler. The Lewis book was about fascism finding its way into American society, in other words, that it could happen here! ...
It Did Happen Here
Among the Federal Theatre Project's successes were Welles' voodoo Macbeth, his Faust, his and Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock and Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here, a timely, still resonant warning about homegrown fascism. ...
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Monteath

About Monteath

Hey all.  Now living in Austin, Texas, as I was lucky enough to get a fantastic new job.  The picture is from Alaska, where I spent the last four years in graduate school earning my MFA in creative writing, and I hope to go back someday (Alaska, not grad school).  I'm here to show my passions, make some awesome lenses that hopefully help my parents' and their antique store out, and to learn about some marketing and making money on the side.


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