It Can't happen here is a Dystopian novel first published in 1935. It depicts the rise of a Fascist Dictatorship after the forthcoming election in 1936.
However, the events predicted by this novel did not come true. With the economy having improved rapidly from 1933 to 1936, Roosevelt won a landslide reelection in 1936, defeating Alf Landon in the most overwhelming victory in US History. This book was nearly forgotten.
But with the rise of Donald J. Trump this book is being remembered again. The similarities between Trump and Senator Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a charismatic and power-hungry politician, cannot be overlooked.
Since the 2010s there has been renewed interest in Lewis' work, in particular his 1935 dystopian satire It Can't Happen Here. In the aftermath of the 2016 United States Presidential Election, It Can't Happen Here surged to the top of Amazon's list of best-selling books.
It Can't Happen Here is a satirical 1935 political novel by American author Sinclair Lewis and a 1936 play by Lewis and John C. Moffitt adapted from the novel.
The novel was published during the heyday of fascism in Europe, which was reported on by Dorothy Thompson, Lewis's wife. The novel describes the rise of Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a demagogue who is elected President of the United States, after fomenting fear and promising drastic economic and social reforms while promoting a return to patriotism and "traditional" values. After his election, Windrip takes complete control of the government and imposes totalitarian rule with the help of a ruthless paramilitary force, in the manner of European fascists such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The novel's plot centers on journalist Doremus Jessup's opposition to the new regime and his subsequent struggle against it as part of a liberal rebellion.
In 1936, Senator Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a charismatic and power-hungry politician, wins the 1936 United States presidential election on a populist platform, promising to restore the country to prosperity and greatness, and promising each citizen $5,000 a year. Portraying himself as a champion of traditional American values, Windrip defeats President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Democratic convention, and then easily beats his Republican opponent, Senator Walt Trowbridge, in the November election.
