A Parable About the Populist Party The Wizard of Oz: The Wizard of Oz: A Parable About the Populist Party

Dorothy Dorothy represents the American people at their best: Independent, resourceful, kindhearted, honest. She is the all-American girl from the heartland. Mary Lease, a farmer and head of the National Farmer’s Alliance. Lease was from Kansas, a Populist Party stronghold.

Toto Temperance and Prohibition Party Allies of the Populists in the Free Silver Coalition, but never did much.

Miss Gulch Bankers collecting on farmer’s mortgages. Miss Gulch threatens to take away Dorothy’s family farm.

Cyclone: Populism Populist Party came in like a tornado and lifted the farmers out of their mindset of having no power/control.

Munchkinland: A foreign, new world for Dorothy… World of the East Coast: Industrial world.

The Good Witches from the North and the South Northern & Southern Farmers Alliances Populism had a stronghold in these regions.

Death of the Wicked Witch of the East President Grover Cleveland. -With President Cleveland out of office, there was a chance for the silver standard.

Munchkins “Little people” enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the East, who takes regular people and makes them small. Dorothy freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East. Munchkins also represent child labor.

Yellow Brick Road The Gold Standard. The Populists believed that the gold standard, like the yellow brick road, had many pitfalls for ordinary people.

Silver Bimetallism: Easing the money supply and giving Americans greater access to credit. Salvation for farmers. Bryan used the imagery in his famous “Cross of Gold” speech. Dorothy does not understand the power of her silver shoes so she heads down the treacherous yellow brick road (Silver and gold)

OZ Bimetallism- 16:1 ounces (oz.) 16 oz. of silver would = 1 oz. of gold

Scarecrow Shows the stupidity of farmers who were once enlightened, shrewd, and capable; but, now stood powerless in the face of industrialization. Prejudicial notion that farmers were not smart enough to recognize their own interests and felt too intimidated to enter the realm of politics.

Tin Man Industrial workers Dehumanized by factory labor, he had rusted solid, symbolizing the closing of factories during the depression of 1893. Represents the hardened worker.

Cowardly Lion William Jennings Bryan: Democratic nominee for president in 1896 and endorsed by the Populist Party. When the Cowardly Lion first meets Dorothy and her companions, he strikes the Tin Man but does not make a dent in his metal body (Bryan failed to win the vote of industrial labor). Baum revealed his skepticism about politicians through the Lion. Bryan may have been a great orator, but despite his roar, he had no REAL power. “All bark but no bite.” He didn’t have the power to get it done.

We’re off to see the Wizard… The group journeys to Oz, representing Washington DC, remniscent of the march on Washington DC that occurred in winter of 1893-94. Jacob Coxey organized a small group of unemployed workers to march on the capital in an effort to convince the government to put more money into circulation and use those funds for public works programs, to put people back to work. Coxey’s army was modest and easily put down. It was a unique event because they looked to the federal government to sponsor this program.

Emerald City Washington D.C. In the book, the Emerald City it is bland white. People are required to wear green glasses upon entry to give the city the illusion of being emerald colored. Represents disillusionment of the government. Greenbacks

The Wicked Witch of the West William McKinley, who would become President striking down Populism.

Monkeys Goldbugs Supported McKinley in the election of 1896 and kept Populism & the silver standard from gaining power.

Death of the Wicked Witch in the West In order to get what they want, the Wizard tells them to kill the Wicked Witch of the West-McKinley Now there is a chance for Populist ideas to thrive again through Roosevelt.

The Wizard of Oz Any gilded age president The Wizard’s power is an illusion/Like the President. Therefore, it is misguided to look to the Wizard/President for solutions. The Wizard did not want to see the people (No one ever saw him) which made everyone fearful, even though he is just a regular person (Just like the President). With the presentation of the broom, the Wizard is exposed as a fraud and becomes nothing more than a common man. The Wizard was lassie fare with the group and they took care of the Witch themselves. He had no power…the group did.

“There’s No Place Like Home” Dorothy, like all farmers, always had the power to “return home” and to gain power. By simply clicking her silver heels together (Swtitching to the 16:1 oz standard) and returning home to her all-American, Midwestern values.

Conclusion Ideally, the Populist Party were victorious because the people had the power all along and they were courageous enough to prove it. The fake “Wizard”(President) leaves Oz in the hands of the Scarecrow (farmer). As a result of the Populist victory, Dorothy is able to return “home” to pre-industrial America.

A Dream???? When Dorothy wakes up, she realizes that it was just a dream…nothing has changed. Or has it? We are more enlightened. What do you think Baum was trying to do by writing this story?