A Kid’s movie? A child’s story? Was it that simple? Maybe not. Frank Baum wrote the story, and it was first published in 1900, with a musical version for an adult audience, written and released in 1901. Baum called his creation a “Modernized Fairy Tale,” but he had very strong political opinions, which are woven throughout the story. Numerous scholars have said that the characters in the story were not invented by Baum, but were well known in the 1890’s and 1900. The Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Yellow Brick Road, Silver Slippers (changed to red for the movie), cyclone, Emerald City, etc, were all extensively used in editorial cartoons of the era. Baum took them, one by one, and coupled them with his political leanings, and fabricated a wonderful story.
Dorothy, naive, young and simple, represented the American people, who needed self confidence. She was every man, who was lost, and couldn’t find his way back home. Toto, her dog, represented the prohibition advocates of the time, (toto-ly against alcohol). The Munchkins were the little people. Ordinary citizens, powerless, and usually on the wrong side of things. Oz, was the representation of ounce. Baum was a strong supporter of William Jennings Bryan, who was fighting for a 16 to 1 ratio of silver to gold. ’Free Silver,’ as it was then called. Bryan wanted more silver coinage (bimetallism) to increase the nation’s money supply with metals, rather than gold backed paper money, which would result in a historic 16 to 1 ratio. It was 30 to 1 in 1900, and 66 to 1 today. Dorothy must wear the silver slippers down the yellow brick path of gold, which led to the Emerald City, which of course was a total fake, and represented paper money with no real value.
The cyclone represented a political revolution, which would transform a drab (black and white in the movie) country, into a land of color and unlimited prosperity, if Bryan were elected. Bryan was a continual thorn in McKinley’s side, and ran against him twice. The Cowardly Lion was Grover Cleveland, who won before McKinley, and again after he was assassinated. The Tin Man was the dehumanized industrial worker, badly mistreated by the Wicked Witch of the East, who ruled the Munchkins until the cyclone created a political revolution which killed her. The Tin Man was rusted and helpless, and it would take the Rockefeller oil to make him work. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil was then roundly being accused of being a monopoly. The Scarecrow was the farmer, who needed to work with the Tin Man to gain power. In that case it became the Farmer-Labor Party, which still exists today as Minnesota’s Democratic Party.
President McKinley was often called a “Wizard” for his political skills, and the man behind the curtain could be a reference to the McKinley candidacy in the “Land of Oz,” (ounce of gold), or Wall Street gold advocates, who didn’t want silver coinage or a dual metal, 16 to 1 ratio currency. The Wizard, McKinley, had lots of little knobs and devices to fool the people into voting for him, which would make America a ’Yellow Brick (currency) Road’, not a gold and silver one. The other animals were political allegories of then politicians.
The similes can go on and on, but it is obvious that the politicians of today, are as fake as is the Emerald City and the Wizard. The more useless laws and smoke and mirrors they produce, the worse off is America. The more hideous laws and bureaucracies produced behind D.C.’s curtains, the worse off is America. Today’s Emerald City and Wizards are destructive, misleading, and have no real value. Dorothy needed to find a way home, and today, it is gold and silver which will take us home to safety in the upcoming hyper-inflation which is at our door. We need lots of OZ’s in gold and silver to secure our future! Will the Tea Party lead us to salvation in November? Looks like it may happen!