In 1935 Sinclair Lewis, a prodigious author of such best sellers as Main Street, Babbit, Elmer Gantry and many others, wrote a satirical novel called "It Can't Happen Here."

In 1935 Hitler had taken control of Germany's government, but the wars had not begun.

Lewis' protagonist, a conniving politician, promises drastic reforms and uses appeals to patriotism, nationalism and traditional values to persuade people to elect him president, at which point, he becomes a dictator who looks and acts very much like Hitler.

Lewis's real target was Huey Long, who at that time was using those tactics to assume virtuallly dictatorial powers in Louisiana.

I came across the book during the 1950's when Sen Joe McCarthy was immensely popular because he called people communists.
There were enough similarities then to give me pause.

Even then when I read it it sounded like left-wing propaganda and it's probably even more dated now, but recent events may have made it timely and worth a read.