WhentheNazistookpowerin1933,mostGermansdidnotforeseetheoncomingstorm.Manywerewildlyenthusiastic;somewerealarmed;mostwereworriedbuttrustedthatthingswouldworkout.Inshort,theyfeltmuchasAmericanshavefeltfromtimetotime.BrianE.Fogarty’sFascism:WhyNotHere?drawsparallelsbetweenGermancultureoftheearlytwentiethcenturyandAmericanculturetoday.WhileFogartypostulatesthatitwouldtakeaconfluenceofeventsandcircumstancestopropelAmericansintothearmsoffascism,heconcludesthatitisnotentirelyunlikely.Today,lessthanadecadeafterhisoriginalwarning,someofthoseeventsarebeginningtounfold.AsAmericansbecomemoredivided,asformerlynonpartisaninstitutionsarepoliticized,andasCongressbecomesincreasinglyparalyzed,weareforcedtoask:howdowerespondtoapoliticaloutsider’srallycriesto“makeAmericagreatagain“?InexaminingthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenNaziGermanyandAmericatoday,FogartyfindsmanyreasonsforhopethatAmericanswillnotfallvictimtosuchchauvinisticappeal,buthealsofindsplentytoworryabout.HepointsoutthatcontemporaryAmericansandGermansofthe1920sand1930ssharemanysimilarvalues,ideals,fears,andbeliefs.Fogarty’sstrongwordsofcautionwillresonatewithanyoneconcernedaboutAmerica’spoliticalfutureandthefreedomswetoooftentakeforgranted.
