Populism In The Wizard Of Oz

Populism, or the People’s Party, was formed for many economic reasons. Most of the agrarian society felt as if they were not equal to bigger industries (Brinkley 449-451). Railroad services charged small farmers more for shipping rates and bigger industries less. The farmers claimed that railroad services fixed their rates because they would cut deals with the bigger businesses. Populists also wanted a reform of currency (455). They wanted to do so in a way that would raise crops and farm products, so they could get more money and would be able to alleviate their debt.

The Populist Party was the people’s party, hence the name Populist, the party was created in the late 1800s when the Southern Famer alliance contacted Powderly, the head of The Knights of Labor. The party’s first platform was called the Omaha Platform which called for the abolition of the national bank, graduated income tax, direct election of senators, civil service reform, an eight hour work week, and the gov’t control of railroads, telegraphs and telephones. The Populists supported the Prohibition

Farmers united to protect their interests, even creating a major political party. The party was called the peoples party which became known as the populist party. Populists drew its strength from rural areas. Populists tended to be poor and uneducated. They had ideas such as government ownership of major industries. The Populists supported labors demand for an eight

The goals of the Populist Party were to represent the common folk against the large corporate personals, such as railroads, politicians and banker including corporations themselves. Some ways the Populist Party succeeded was it helped raise awareness and concern for the plight of farmers and workers. It led the national Democratic Party to adopt many populist causes, such as bimetallism, corporate regulation and workers rights. The pro-worker, anti-corporate mindset that permeated populism persisted, becoming part of the progressive movement that produced extensive regulation during the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

While the Populists were able to inspire some more government involvement in the economy with their currency concerns, the Progressives both reformed the government into a less corruptible system and called for more government participation in reducing the growing power of certain industries. Similarly, although the Populists managed to bring attention to the plight of the workers, the Progressives, with their wider range of supporters due to their broader appeal, was able to pass workplace regulations and to organize institutes to help foreigners assimilate into American society. Finally, as the Populists failed to convince the nation to address most of their most basic beliefs and goals, the Progressives succeeded in obtaining government recognition of their side of a long-standing racial dissension. In conclusion, historians are correct in believing that the Populists were less successful than the Progressives in attaining their goals because of the vast differences between the two results of the groups’ reform

They educated the public of their interests through publications and public speaking throughout the rural areas of America. Through education, they sought to appeal to the working class of people, mainly those who produced goods, as they believed in a strong community organization. The Populist Party tried to appeal to industrial workers, but failed to connect with the population of mostly immigrants and Catholics. Although Populism didn’t appeal to some people, it nevertheless worked towards providing democratic and economic opportunities for the working class of the United

They were successful in giving women full voting rights and reforming the government to make it “good.” In this era they were also able to pass the meat inspection act and the pure food and drug act. The populist party was based off of poor farmers who

1. What economic issues gave rise to the Populist Party, and what political and economic changes did the party advocate? Why were they considered so radical?

“The Wizard of Oz” was written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum. In America, a heavy presence of populism was upon the land. Dana Moore stated, “Populism has many characteristics similar to Socialism.” The Populists’ goals were to free the coinage of silver and other reforms, such as a progressed income tax on the American citizens and the election of senators in the government. In addition, the Populist Party was formed mostly of lower class farmers. One of their main goals was to regulate railroads due to the high price to pay to transfer their crops. (Moore) Ranjit Dighe states in his article, “New research about L. Frank Baum indicated that he had little sympathy for the Populists or Bryan”.

The Progressive and Populist Movements of the Late 19th and early 20th century were both movements that sought to give specific groups in the population better representation/rights as a whole. The Populist Movement began due to major economic changes brought on by the railroad. Farmers could no longer make a living selling their crops due to overproduction leading to low prices. The Populist Party was established in order to promote the economic and political interests of farmers. One notable member of the Populist Party was William Jennings Bryan, a Presidential candidate who believed in inflating the money supply and the coinage of silver. The party would go on to create Granger Laws, laws designed to place government regulations on railroads.

The Populist Party was started by a massive grassroots movement that wanted political reform. The supporters of the Populist Party were usually laborers who were sick of the government supporting big businesses. Because of this support, there were many violent strikes, such as Pullman, Homestead, and Haymarket, where strikers were killed, and the government did nothing. Eventually, the Populist Party combined with the Democratic Party because the Populist Party was limited because of its regional location.

Fairy tales are unique to literature as readers have the freedom to visualize an extraordinary world filled with imagination, excitement, and wonder, leaving reality to linger at the back of the mind. L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classic tale about Dorothy’s adventurous trip along the Yellow Brick Road, finding her way back to her Aunt Em in Kansas City. However, many critics thoroughly analyzed the true meaning behind this classic tale to have a more profound message than simply a friendly children’s story. The theories developed from the interpretations of populist, feminist, and religious critics create a fascinating perspective of the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The Populists supported labor demands, such as people in the labor force only being allowed to work eight-hour workdays. The Populists tried to encourage more governmental control over the banking systems as well as governmental control over the operation of the nation's railroad and communication systems. One of the most controversial Populist demands was the money supply. Farmers saw inflation as a way to improve their way of living as the price level of their crops began to rise. The farmers also planned to expand the money supply at on point.

What most individuals can 't seem to decipher is that The Wizard of Oz referenced several late 1800’s political issues and ideas. Whether these references are true or not is difficult to say.

Many of the farmers from the West blamed their problems on the wealthy and industry. Later on in the text, Dorothy meets the Good Witch of the North. The Good Witch represents a Northern electorate who had supported populism. The Good Witch sends Dorothy to go to the Wizard of Oz, down the yellow brick road to Emerald City, who has the power to send her back to Kansas. The Good Witch also gives Dorothy the silver shoes, which also serves as protection. This can relate to the Bimetalism vs. Gold Standard. I say this because Dorothy shoes are silver and she is sent to go down the yellow brick road, which can be seen as gold bricks. This can be known as gold money. In this time, it was clear that silver vs. gold was important to the farmers involving the economy. The silver was supposed to be available for the working class, and would increase the amount of money for the working class. In the text, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. The Scarecrow represents the western farmers, and how their hardships and troubles from inflation caused them to have doubts and problems with their money. The Tinman represents the American worker who mostly has populist views. He also represents how the worker felt dehumanized and was helpless. In addition to this, the Wicked Witch of the East put a spell on him that every time he swung his axe, he would chop a piece of him off. This would make his body smaller, in relation to his work being minimized by the