History Literature / ItCantHappenHere

* NobleDemon: Some of the higher-minded Corpos, who joined for ideological reasons.

-->So, after the first gay eruptions of rioting, the revolt slowed up. Neither the Corpos nor many of their opponents knew enough to formulate a clear, sure theory of self-government, or irresistibly resolve to engage in the sore labor of fitting themselves for freedom ... Even yet, after Windrip, most of the easy-going descendants of the wisecracking Benjamin Franklin had not learned that Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" meant anything more than a high-school yell or a cigarette slogan.

--> They were the idealists of Corpoism, and there were plenty of them, along with the bullies and swindlers; they were the men and women who, in 1935 and 1936, had turned to Windrip & Co., not as perfect, but as the most probably saviors of the country from, on one hand, domination by Moscow and, on the other hand, the slack indolence, the lack of decent pride of half the American youth ... They were proud of new Corpo roads, hospitals, television stations, aeroplace lines; they were touched by processions of the Corpo Youth, whose faced were exalted with pride in the myths of Corpo heroism and clean Spartan strength and the semi-divinity of the all-protecting Father, President Windrip.

--> And still Doremus goes on in the red sunrise, for a Doremus Jessop can never die.

-->If I ever hear that 'can't make an omelet' phrase again, I'll start doing a little murder myself! It's used to justify every atrocity under every despotism, Fascist or Nazi or Communist or American labor war. Omelet! Eggs! By God, sir, men's souls and blood are not eggshells for tyrants to break!

* MexicoCalledTheyWantTexasBack: Inverted. The regime invades Mexico as a means of spreading its empire and encouraging patriotism among the masses. Played with in that the regime falsely claims Mexico attacked America as justification for the war. (This being aomething of a HistoricalInJoke as the real Mexican-American War was justified by a similar imaginary invasion.)

* NobleDemon: Some of the higher-minded Corpos, who joined for noble reasons.

-->"Don't call me 'Pater'! If I ever hear that 'can't make an omelet' phrase again, I'll start doing a little murder myself! It's used to justify every atrocity under every despotism, Fascist or Nazi or Communist or American labor war. Omelet! Eggs! By God, sir, men's souls and blood are not eggshells for tyrants to break!

* SpiritualSuccessor: George Orwell's ''NineteenEightyFour'', published fifteen years after ''It Can't Happen Here". Both depict formerly democratic nations that succumb to totalitarianism. Both novels feature protagonists who find salvation in their lovers, rebel against the government through the written word, and endure torture and incarceration.

* BookBurning
* BookDumb: Much of the American populace after the Windrip regime's educational "reforms", book burnings, and censorship campaigns. Institutions of higher learning have been evicerated, and the remaining schools only teach practical or useless classes, meaning that much of the populace is ignorant of history, literature, and civics. When citizens revolt against the Corpos, this works against them as well as the Corpos.

* HellholePrison: The concentration camps. Trianon was a filthy, crowded, miserable prison where guards tortured detainees with whippings and force-feeding them castor oil.

-->"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and bearing the cross."

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Several real-life public figures of the '30s (including FranklinDRoosevelt, HueyLong, and Father Coughlin) are mentioned in passing.

** Windrip himself is ousted from power by Lee Saranson and forced to live in exile in Europe. Similarly, Macgoblin flees after a coup and lives in exile in the Haitian countryside.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Windrip's administration. His closest advisors are constantly vying for power, and coups abound by the end of the novel. They also aren't slouches in the "decadent" department; Macgoblin once hosts meetings with business leaders in a Roman-era ship with nude hostesses, while Saranson hosts orgies with handsome young men [[spoiler: after he exiles Windrip]].
* DepravedHomosexual: Lee Saranson and the handsome M.M.s he surrounds himself with.

* TheStarscream: Saranson is this to Windrip. Haik is later this to Saranson.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Saranson exiles Windrip, only to be assassinated by Haik.

** Which is rather interesting, when you consider that characters like Windrip and Bishop Prang are clearly intended as [[{{Expy Expies]] of people like Long and Coughlin.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Several real-life public figures of the '30s (including Franklin Roosevelt, Huey Long, and Father Coughlin) are mentioned in passing.

''It Can't Happen Here'' by Sinclair Lewis is a speculative fiction novel published in 1935. In the novel, the United States succumbs to a totalitarian government headed by Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a charismatic politician who wins over the voters through populism and empty promises. With his cadre of advisors and a brutal militia of Minute Men (M.M.s), Windrip oversees a new era of poverty, oppression, and fear. Women and minorities are stripped of their rights, dissent is outlawed, and those who displease the government are imprisoned in concentration camps or killed.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: The Windrip regime is lead by a charismatic dictator and characterized by racism, jingoism, vicious suppression of dissent, concentration camps, and foolish wars of conquest. To boot, the Corpo Youth is reminiscent of the Hitler Youth.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Doremus returns to America to encourage dissidents, thereby playing a vital role in the resistance against the government. However, he's constantly on the move to evade Corpos and unable to see his loved ones. Even in a best case scenario, it will likely be years before he can settle down with Lorinda and Sissy again.]]

* BookDumb: Much of the American populace after the Windrip regime's educational "reforms", book burnings, and censorship campaigns. Institutions of higher learning have been evicerated, and the remaining schools only teach practical or useless classes, meaning that much of the populace is ignorant of history, literature, and civics. [[spoiler: When citizens revolt against the Corpos, this works against them as well as the Corpos.]]
-->[[spoiler: So, after the first gay eruptions of rioting, the revolt slowed up.]] Neither the Corpos nor many of their opponents knew enough to formulate a clear, sure theory of self-government, or irresistibly resolve to engage in the sore labor of fitting themselves for freedom ... Even yet, after Windrip, most of the easy-going descendants of the wisecracking Benjamin Franklin had not learned that Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" meant anything more than a high-school yell or a cigarette slogan.
* [[spoiler: CivilWar: A large-scale resistance mounts after Haik takes power.]]

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Windrip's administration. His closest advisors are constantly vying for power, and [[spoiler: coups abound by the end of the novel.]] They also aren't slouches in the "decadent" department; Macgoblin once hosts meetings with business leaders in a Roman-era ship with nude hostesses, while Saranson hosts orgies with handsome young men [[spoiler: after he exiles Windrip]].

* [[spoiler: DividedStatesOfAmerica: When the resistance against Haik's regime mounts in earnest, sizeable chunks of America come under dissident control.]]

** [[spoiler: Windrip himself is ousted from power by Lee Saranson and forced to live in exile in Europe. Similarly, Macgoblin flees after a coup and lives in exile in the Haitian countryside.]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Windrip and Macgoblin.]]
* LaResistance: Lorinda, Doremus, and several members of the Jessop household disseminate forbidden news that they receive from Canada. [[spoiler: At the end of the novel, a full-blown rebellion against the Haik regime has erupted across the country.]]
* MexicoCalledTheyWantTexasBack: Inverted. The regime invades Mexico as a means of spreading its empire and encouraging patriotism among the masses. Played with in that the regime falsely claims Mexico attacked America as justification for the war.

* ReignOfTerror: When Windrip's regime takes power, the M.M.s perpetrate atrocities against minorities and dissenters. [[spoiler: When Haik takes power, it gets even ''worse''.]]

* TheStarscream: [[spoiler: Saranson is this to Windrip. Haik is later this to Saranson.]]

* UndergroundRailroad: How many refugees flee to Canada [[spoiler: including Doremus]].

--> [[spoiler: And still Doremus goes on in the red sunrise, for a Doremus Jessop can never die.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Saranson exiles Windrip, only to be assassinated by Haik.]]

''It Can't Happen Here'' by Sinclair Lewis is a speculative fiction novel published in 1935. In the novel, the United States succumbs to a totalitarian government headed by Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a charismatic politician who wins over voter through populism and empty promises. With his cadre of advisors and a brutal militia of Minute Men (M.M.s), Windrip oversees a new era of poverty, oppression, and fear. Women and minorities are stripped of their rights, dissent is outlawed, and those who displease the government are thrown into concentration camps or killed.

* TheFundamentalist: Karl Pascal, a die-had communist. His communist fervor reaches a fevered pitch during his incarceration at Trianon, much to his cellmates' annoyance.
* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: Doremus and Lorinda have had a ongoing affair behind Emma's back. The affair is depicted as positive, since the two are intellectual equals who are passionately in love.

* HellholePrison: The concentration camps. Trianon was a filthy, crowded, miserable prison where guards tortured detainee with whippings and castor oil force-feeding.

* Foreshadowing: Ominous weather foreshadows the arrival of M.M.s at the Jessop home, who proceed to vandalize the house, brutalize Doremus, and eventually haul Doremus away to Trianon.

* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: Doremus and Linda have had a ongoing affair behind Emma's back. The affair is depicted as positive, since the two are intellectual equals who are passionately in love.

* LaResistance: Lorinda, Doremus, and several members of the Jessop household disseminate forbidden news that they receive from Canada. [[At the end of the novel, a full-blown rebellion against the Haik regime has erupted across the country.]]

* PropagandaMachine

* SpiritualSuccessor: George Orwell's ''{{Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'', published fifteen years after ''It Can't Happen Here". Both depict formerly democratic nations that succumb to totalitarianism. Both novels feature protagonists who find salvation in their lovers, rebel against the government through the written word, and endure torture and incarceration.