The Wizard of Oz

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The Wizard of Oz

• A Populist Parable

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Late 1800s

• period of rapid growth in westward expansion
• industrialization and the growth of big business
• immigration and the growth of urban centers

The Mid West
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The Setting

• The Great Plains
• rapid growth
• good rainfall
• railroads move crops
• land was cheap

The Great Plains
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Trouble begins

• severe drought
• overproduction
• farmers in debt
• blame the railroads (monopolies)
• natural disaster occurred

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Farmers do not receive help

• party leaders at state level do not want to get
  involved

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A Political Organization is formed

• Farmers Alliance (rose from the Grange)
• began as a pressure group
• attacked the monopolies
• had surprising success at local polls
• Farmers Alliance the Knights of Labor
• The Populist Party (originally the People's
  Party)

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The Populist Party

• members were people in rural areas
• strong support in the South and the West
• some support in the North

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What they wanted

• Reforms in the area of
• Land
• Cheaper transportation
• Finances

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Their demands

• Land
• Believed is for the people/not be monopolies
• All land for settler use only
• Transportation
• a means of exchange and a public necessity
• Owned and operated by the government
• Finances
• called for the increase in circulation of money
• free silver bimetallism
• graduated income tax
• And for the working man
• eight hour work day

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Their Power

• Ran James Weaver (IA) for president in the 1892
  election
• join with the Democratic party in election of
  1896
• supported William Jennings Bryan for president
  nomination
• party dies out after election of 1896

Historical cartoon of Populist Party as a snake
with William Jennings Bryan's head swallowing
donkey of the Democratic Party(Library of
Congress)
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Cross of Gold speech

• "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor
  this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify
  mankind upon a cross of gold."

July 9, 1896, at the Democratic National
Convention, Chicago
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Legacy

• goals of reform did not die out
• reappears during the Progressive Era

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A Populist Parable the Wizard of Oz

• What is the symbolism?

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Kansas
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SILVER QUESTION

• FARMERS DEMAND GOVT COIN SILVER MONEY TO INFLATE
  CURRENCY RAISE FARM PRICES

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LAND OF OZ

• WASHINGTON, DC
• MAGIC OASIS
• (OZ OUNCE OF GOLD
• GOLD ROAD LEADS TO OZ

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FARM

• DEADLY ENVIRONMENT
• NATURE IMPERSONAL
• BLEAK, LONELY, ISOLATED

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TORNADO

• POPULISM ROARING IN FROM WEST

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DOROTHY

• EVERYMAN
• LEVELHEADED, HUMAN, GOOD
• THINKS OF OTHERS

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SCARECROW

• FARMERS
• IGNORANT
• IRRATIONAL
• MUDDLE-HEADED

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TIN WOODSMAN

• LABOR BECOMING MACHINES
• LOST MOST HUMAN SENTIMENT LOVE

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COWARDLY LION

• WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
• MORE BARK THAN BITE

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WIZARD

• PRESIDENTS GRANT TO McKINLEY
• EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE

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WICKED WITCH OF EAST

• EASTERN FINANCIAL ECONOMIC INTERESTS
• AND THEIR GOLD STANDARD POLTICAL ALLIES
• (MAIN TARGET OF POPULIST VENOM)

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WICKED WITCH OF WEST

• RAILROAD BARONS
• BAD FORCES OF NATURE

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GOOD WITCH OF NORTH

• REPRESENTS THE ELECTORATE OF THE UPPER MID-WEST
• (WHERE POPULISM GAINED GREAT SUPPORT)

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GOOD WITCH OF THE SOUTH

• THE GOOD WITCH, WHO UNLIKE HER NORTHERN
  COUNTERPART, UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
  SILVER SHOES

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MUNCHKINS

• GENERAL PUBLIC CHILDLIKE, NAÏVE
• ENLSAVED BY WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST

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WINGED MONKEYS

• INDIANS
• GOOD OR BAD DEPENDS UPON WHOSE INFLUENCE

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YELLOW WINKIES

• PHILLIPINE PEOPLE
• ASIAN IMMIGRANTS

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WATER (IM MELTING!)

• WATER ENDS HER EVIL REIGN
• PARCHED LANDS ARE WATERED, FARMERS ARE FREED