Off to See the Wizard?
The Wonderful Story of Populism.
If you think farmers have it bad today you should consider their plight in the last three decades of the 19th century. Industrialization swept across the country like a tornado. Railroads, which carried the farmers products to markets, used their strong monopoly power to gouge farmers on rates. Worst of all, heavy Civil War inflation had forced the US to abandon the international gold standard until such a time that prices could be deflated to their prewar level. This deflation hurt farmers, in particular, because farmers borrow money from banks to buy their land, buy new farming technologies of the time period (like McCormick Reapers), and sometimes even to buy the seed used for that year’s harvest. Deflation hurts borrowers because they have to pay back their loans in money that can buy more than the money originally borrowed.
Farmers responded to these hard times by creating a political movement known as Populism. The Populist platform included government liquidation of the railroads, increased regulation of banks, and the adoption of an inflationary silver standard (rather than the deflationary path back to the gold standard). The party’s rise culminated with the presidential candidacy of William Jennings Bryan against William McKinley in 1896. Bryan gave perhaps the most famous and stirring political speech in American history when he said "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."
Does this story sound familiar to you? It should. Frank Baum, a staunch Populist supporter who marched in parades in support of Bryan, made sure that children of all ages would forever empathize with farmers of the late 19th century when he wrote his classic tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. While Oz is a wonderful children’s story in it’s own right, it, more importantly, is an allegory on the Populist movement.
The allegorical meanings start right in the title—Oz is the abbreviation for ounces in which both gold and silver are measured. Dorothy, the farm girl from Kansas who represents the roots of the Populist movement, is caught in a tornado of industrialization. When her house lands, it crushes the Wicked Witch of the East—the banks whom farmers detested for having to pay back their loans in more expensive dollars (here’s my mortgage payment sister!). Banks were seen as a major hurdle toward adopting an inflationary silver standard. In Baum’s tale, Dorothy takes the magic silver slippers off of the dead witch. MGM, the sell-out studio that released the movie in the splendors of Technicolor ©, made the silver slippers ruby and hence distorted Baum’s most important message.
Dorothy is then advised to "follow the yellow brick road," i.e. get back on the road to the gold standard, which will take her to the magical wizard who, supposedly, can help her get home. Along the way she makes three allegiances: (1) the scarecrow without a brain—representing the farmers (of course as it turns out the scarecrow is one of the smartest of the bunch, constantly offering sound advice and saving the day), (2) the tin-man looking for a heart—representing heart-less industry, and (3) the cowardly lion—representing William Jennings Bryan who talked the big talk (such as his "cross of gold" speech) but often backed down on important Populist issues. [Note: Dorothy also brings along Toto, her little dog, who represents the Populist’s alliance with the "teetotaler party," who were for the prohibition of alcohol.]
The political coalition is on its way to the Emerald City (Washington D.C., of course) but one last hurdle stands in its way—the Wicked Witch of the West. This Witch represents the monopolistic Railroads, the main technology opening industrial markets to the West. Knowing the power of the silver slippers, the Witch will do anything to get them away from Dorothy including sending her evil monkeys after her. The monkeys likely represent the private police force that railroads sometimes used against farmers.
How does Baum’s story end? The Wicked Witch of the West is liquidated with a bucket of water and our heroes, with the evil banks and railroads out of the picture, are given a victory party. Here Dorothy learns that the advice to follow the yellow brick road of the Gold standard was futile—the wizard (political powers that be in Washington) couldn’t help her get home as he was nothing but hot air. As it turns out, Dorothy had the power to end the farmers suffering all along—she needed only tap the silver slippers together, i.e. adopt the inflationary silver standard, to get home.
Baum’s book is full of allegorical references to the late 19th century Populist movement. Only the most important ones have been addressed here. Get to the library and see how many more you can find! Incidentally, though McKinley won the election of 1896 and the gold standard was fully restored, the discovery of gold fields in South Africa caused US dollars, which were tied to gold, to lose their purchasing power, and hence accomplished the inflationary goal of the Populists anyway. Of course this fact has never detracted from my enjoyment of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
1/29/03 07:50 am - Babbling
I hate waking up at seven o'clock. I'm tired. Now, I have to go outside in the cold and wait for the 8:03 bus and ride to well's hall and get off and walk to south kedzie for PLS. Then its back to well's for macro then wait for the bus and come back here for lunch. Then go outside and wait for the bus again and ride to IM west for ATL. Then back on the bus to come home...finally for good.
Don't you wish you were here?
scared
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