A synopsis of the 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis:
"In 1936, American Senator Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip
enters the presidential election campaign on a populist platform, promising to
restore the country to prosperity and greatness, and promising each citizen
US$5,000 per year (equivalent to $113,000 in 2024). Portraying himself as a
champion of "the forgotten man" and "traditional" American
values, Windrip defeats incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the
Democratic nomination, and then beats his Republican opponent, Senator Walt
Trowbridge, in the November election.
Having previously foreshadowed some authoritarian measures
to reorganize the government, Windrip outlaws dissent, incarcerates political
enemies in concentration camps, and trains and arms a paramilitary force called
the "Minute Men" (named after the Revolutionary War militias of the
same name), who terrorize citizens and enforce the policies of a corporatist
regime. One of Windrip's first acts as president is to eliminate the influence
of Congress, which draws the ire of many citizens as well as the legislators
themselves. The Minute Men respond to protests harshly, attacking demonstrators
with bayonets. In addition to these actions, Windrip's administration, known as
the Corpo government, curtails women's and minority rights, and eliminates
individual states by subdividing the country into administrative sectors. The
government of these sectors is managed by Corpo authorities, usually prominent
businessmen or Minute Men officers. Those accused of crimes against the
government appear before kangaroo courts presided over by military judges. A
majority of Americans approve of these dictatorial measures, seeing them as
painful but necessary steps to restore American power." - Wikipedia
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