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Huey Long once said fascism will arrive "wrapped in an American flag." In his book titled, "Friendly Fascism," Bertram Gross called Ronald Reagan its prototype ruler.
He described a slow, powerful "drift toward greater concentration of power and wealth in a repressive Big Business-Big Government," Big Brother alliance. It leads "toward a new and subtly manipulative form of corporatist serfdom." Its friendly face turns dark as hardline policies emerge.
In the 1930s, George Seldes saw it coming. He worried that New Deal policies would erode. In his 1934 book titled, "Iron, Blood and Profits," he discussed a "world-wide munitions racket." He cited WW I militarists and weapons makers in Europe and America.
"Merchants of death" he called them, promoting "imperialism (and) colonization - by means of war. (T)he healthfulness of the business depends on slaughter. The more wars," the more riches.
His 1943 book titled, "Facts and Fascism" explained "Fascism on the Home Front" in Part One, called "The Big Money and the Big Profits in Fascism."
In Parts Two and Three, he discussed "Native Fascist Forces" in industry and his day's media. A shadow of today, they included only print and radio's early days. Television was just an idea.
In his 1935 novel titled, "It Can't Happen Here," Sinclair Lewis also saw it coming in hard times, led by a charismatic, self-styled reformer/populist champion - a con man exploiting human misery.
He recounted Merzelium "Buzz" Windrip's rise to power. His promise to restore prosperity equitably hid his alliance with corporatist interests and religious ideologues.
He capitalized on hard times to establish militarism and unconstitutional governance. He convened military tribunals for civilians and called dissenters traitors. He institutionalized tyranny, put political enemies in concentration camps, and created Minute Men paramilitaries to terrorize anyone opposing him.
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