When It Happened Here: Michigan and the Transnational Development of American Fascism, 1920-1945

Salaina Catalano Crumb explains how American fascism developed and thrived in Michigan from the 1920s through the 1940s due to the influence of right-wing individuals and organizations swayed by the politics of Nazi Germany, including industrialist Henry Ford, anti-communist clergy members Father Coughlin and Reverend Gerald L.K. Smith, militant secret societies like the Black Legion, and immigrant veterans’ and fascist groups including the German American Bund. Crumb received dual MA/MSc degrees in International & World History at Columbia University and the London School of Economics, and works in the automotive field. Related Collections: Peter H. Amann Papers Father Charles Coughlin FBI Files Samuel Kellman Papers Social Justice (Father Coughlin’s anti-communist publication) Maurice Sugar Papers Related Resources: Salaina Catalano – “When It Happened Here: Michigan and the Transnational Development of American Fascism, 1920-1945,” Michigan Historical Review Episode Credits Producers: Dan Golodner and Troy Eller English Interviewee: Salaina Catalano Crumb Music: Bart Bealmear