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5 Chilling Ways Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 Prophecy “When Fascism Comes To America” Is Playing Out Today

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The enduring, chilling prophecy attributed to Nobel laureate Sinclair Lewis—"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross"—has never felt more urgent than it does in late 2025. This quote, which perfectly encapsulates the theme of his 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here, posits that a uniquely American brand of authoritarianism would not arrive in jackboots and foreign regalia, but rather disguised in the nation’s most sacred symbols: hyper-patriotism and weaponized religious rhetoric.

Published during the rise of Hitler and Mussolini, Lewis’s dystopian political satire was a direct warning to a complacent American public convinced that their democracy was immune to European-style tyranny. Today, the book has surged back onto bestseller lists, forcing a new generation to confront the terrifying parallels between the fictional rise of President Buzz Windrip and the current political landscape, where polarization, demagoguery, and attacks on democratic institutions are commonplace. The core question Lewis posed remains: Can it happen here?

The Life and Legacy of Harry Sinclair Lewis

Harry Sinclair Lewis was a towering figure in 20th-century American literature, known for his sharp social criticism and satirical portrayal of middle-class life. His work often dissected the provincialism, materialism, and hypocrisy he observed in small-town and urban America.

Biography and Major Milestones:

  • Full Name: Harry Sinclair Lewis
  • Born: February 7, 1885, Sauk Centre, Minnesota, U.S.
  • Died: January 10, 1951, near Rome, Italy (aged 65)
  • Education: Yale University (B.A., 1908)
  • Nobel Prize: In 1930, Lewis became the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized for "his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of people."
  • Spouses: Grace Livingston Hegger (1914–1925), Dorothy Thompson (1928–1942)

Key Works of Social Critique:

Lewis is best known for a string of massively successful novels that defined the Roaring Twenties and beyond:

  • Main Street (1920): A critique of the narrow-mindedness and conformity of small-town life.
  • Babbitt (1922): A satirical portrait of a materialistic, conformist businessman who becomes the archetype of the American middle-class philistine.
  • Arrowsmith (1925): A novel about a dedicated physician struggling against commercialism and ethical compromise in the medical field.
  • Elmer Gantry (1927): A controversial exposé of hypocrisy and corruption within the American evangelical church.
  • It Can’t Happen Here (1935): His direct warning against the rise of American fascism.

The Prophetic Novel: *It Can't Happen Here*

Lewis wrote It Can’t Happen Here in a furious burst of activity, completing it in just four months. His goal was to shock Americans out of their liberal complacency by showing them exactly how a homegrown fascist dictator could seize power.

The Rise of Buzz Windrip

The novel centers on the election of Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a charismatic, folksy, and utterly ruthless presidential candidate. Windrip is a master of political demagoguery, promising to restore the country to greatness through populist rhetoric and an appeal to the nation's "forgotten men."

  • Populist Appeal: Windrip promises radical economic reform, wealth redistribution, and a return to "traditional American values."
  • Attacks on Elites: He constantly rails against "highbrows," intellectuals, the press, and the established political class, painting them as enemies of the people.
  • Militia and Symbolism: Upon winning, Windrip establishes a paramilitary force called the Minute Men, mirroring the brownshirts of European fascism, and governs through a blend of patriotic fervor and brutal repression.

The novel's protagonist, Doremus Jessup, a liberal newspaper editor in Vermont, initially dismisses Windrip as a buffoon, embodying the very liberal complacency Lewis sought to criticize. Jessup’s journey from detached observer to active resistance fighter provides the moral backbone of the story and a blueprint for fighting creeping authoritarianism.

5 Ways Lewis’s Warning Echoes in Modern Politics

While the precise quote about the flag and the cross is often attributed to Lewis's friend and fellow journalist Dorothy Thompson, or is a distillation of the novel's themes rather than a direct line of dialogue, its sentiment is undeniably the core of It Can't Happen Here. The novel’s predictions about how American fascism would manifest are eerily relevant today.

1. The Weaponization of Patriotism and Faith

Lewis foresaw that American authoritarianism would not adopt foreign symbols like the Swastika, but would instead co-opt the most cherished national and religious icons. The "wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross" imagery signifies a movement that merges extreme nationalism with a specific, politicized brand of Christianity, using both to justify exclusionary policies and to brand opposition as un-American or immoral. This fusion of the sacred and the state is the ultimate disguise for a loss of liberty.

2. The Rise of the Anti-Intellectual Demagogue

Buzz Windrip is not an intellectual giant; he is a master of simple, emotionally charged rhetoric. He appeals directly to the public's grievances and distrust of "experts." Lewis understood that a charismatic leader who speaks in soundbites and promises easy solutions—while scorning education, science, and reasoned debate—could easily capture a large, frustrated audience. The constant attacks on "highbrows" and the media in the novel mirror contemporary rhetoric that dismisses objective truth in favor of partisan narratives.

3. The Systematic Assault on the Free Press

In Lewis’s dystopia, the free press is one of the first casualties. Windrip’s regime immediately begins to restrict and ultimately shut down independent newspapers. Doremus Jessup, the editor, is imprisoned for daring to publish the truth. Lewis recognized that a robust, independent media is the primary check on an authoritarian leader. The modern phenomenon of "fake news" accusations, media manipulation, and the deliberate erosion of public trust in journalism are direct parallels to the strategies employed by Windrip’s Minute Men.

4. The Danger of Liberal Complacency

The novel’s title, *It Can't Happen Here*, is a bitter irony. It represents the naive belief held by many educated Americans—like Jessup at the start—that their democratic traditions were too strong to fail. Lewis’s primary warning was not just about the fascists, but about the complacent liberals who failed to take the threat seriously until it was too late. This lesson is a crucial entity in modern political analysis: the belief that "it can't happen here" is precisely what makes it possible.

5. The Normalization of Extremism and Paramilitary Forces

Windrip’s rise is accompanied by the normalization of political violence and the formation of his personal militia, the Minute Men. These groups operate outside the law, intimidating opponents and enforcing the dictator's will. Recent years have seen a documented rise in domestic militias and politically motivated violence, often justified by the same hyper-patriotic and anti-government rhetoric that Lewis described. The acceptance of such extremism as a legitimate political tool is a clear signpost on the road Lewis warned about.

The Enduring Topical Authority of Lewis's Warning

The resurgence of *It Can’t Happen Here* is a powerful testament to Lewis's topical authority as a political satirist and prophet. He provided a clear-eyed vision of how American fascism would be different from its European cousins. It wouldn't be about ancient history or foreign ideology; it would be about American grievances, American symbols, and an American disregard for intellectualism.

Lewis’s work forces us to consider that the greatest threat to democracy may not be a foreign invasion, but a slow, insidious process of demagoguery and political polarization, wrapped neatly in the very fabric of American identity. As long as political discourse remains high-pitched and truth remains subjective, the novel—and the quote it inspired—will continue to serve as a vital, terrifying warning to the American republic in 2025.

sinclair lewis when fascism comes to america
sinclair lewis when fascism comes to america

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