Populism in the Oz Mythology: One is Silver and the Other’s Gold

Populism is a political idea that bloomed in Kansas in the late nineteenth century, and blossomed into a political movement well into the twentieth century. The idea represents a vast amount of people who want the best, but may not have their voices heard. Populism is the act of average men and women, farmers, etc., who want more than their political structure is offering, and demand change. Those who classify themselves as populists strive for more than what is offered by current politics, and strive for the best results in their community. Farmers during the late nineteenth century were great proponents for a silver standard, a compliment to the gold standard, as an accessible way for many in the middle class to increase their personal wealth. The creation of wealth for the lower-middle and middle-class would create a greater infrastructure economically, as these land owners could create more agricultural jobs by having to hire more people to harvest their new land. Countless works within the Oz Mythology include ideas chained to populism, the most prominent at the time being the proposition for a “Silver Standard” in addition to the current Gold Standard (Hansen). Having a silver standard within the novel would have radically changed the dynamics of the Gulch family in the original novel, which would then lead on to shape the economic setting of the following works within the Oz Mythology. During a time where there were vastly varying economic classes, the Populist Party, officially named the People’s Party, was founded in Kansas in 1891, and began a platform for presidential Candidate James Weaver. The platform called forward the idea of free coinage of silver and paper money, which meant that the U.S. dollar could be backed by silver as well as gold. This became known as the “silver