The Wizard of Oz and the Crime of '73

mmarotta · 06-28-2009, 06:40 PM

At the November 1989 Coinage of the Americas Conference ("America's Gold Coinage"), Walter Breen delivered a talk suggesting that L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was an allegory or parable about the politics of bimetallism during the McKinley-Bryan presidential campaigns. For most numismatists, this was as surprising as the events of the story were to Dorothy. In fact, the theory goes back to 1964 and supports a rich literature of its own.

In this week's Esylum, I will have a couple of paragraphs on what I have found so far. I have 27 citations, 24 of them specifically about the monetary aspects. Others focus in whole or in part on other aspectes of the political debates, including the status of the Filipinos and Native Americans. (I posted a Bibliography on the Usenet Newsgroup Rec.Collecting.Coins.)

Yellow Brick Road = the Gold Standard
Oz = ounce
Tinman = Worker
Scarecrow = Farmer
Cowardly Lion = William Jennings Bryan
Wizard = McKinley (or other US President)
Emerald City = White House
Silver Slippers (in book) = power of silver money
Green glasses (in book) = illusion of paper money
Gold cap (in book) = power of gold money

Quote:

The Fourth Coinage Act was enacted by the United States Congress in 1873 and embraced the gold standard and de-monetized silver. Western mining interests and others who wanted silver in circulation years later labeled this measure the "Crime of '73". Gold became the only metallic standard in the United States.
[...]
After 1893 Western miners and wheat and cotton farmers rallied to the silver cause with the slogan the "Crime of '73". The silverite movement took control of the Democratic party in 1896 under William Jennings Bryan. The 1896 and 1900 presidential elections focused on silver and gold, with victory going both times to the champion of gold, William McKinley.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coinage_Act_of_1873

Numerous scholars in history, political science and economics have asserted that the images and characters used by Baum and Denslow closely resembled political images that were well known in the 1890s. They argue that Baum and Denslow did not invent out of thin air the Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Yellow Brick Road, Silver Slippers, cyclone, monkeys, Emerald City, Munchkins (little people), Uncle Henry, passenger balloons, witches and the wizard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politic...l_Wizard_of_Oz

**TheNoost** · 06-28-2009, 07:21 PM

whoah. Kinda makes a person think. It makes sense.

Vess1 · 06-28-2009, 07:25 PM

We talked about this here a few months ago. I know I'll never see the movie in the same way again. Kind of a round about movie for a parable though. I mean, I wonder if the hidden meaning had any psychological impact on anybody at the time or if anyone even knew about it?

**green18** · 06-28-2009, 08:14 PM

Purely coincidence......there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

mmarotta · 06-28-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vess1

We talked about this here a few months ago. I know I'll never see the movie in the same way again. Kind of a round about movie for a parable though. I mean, I wonder if the hidden meaning had any psychological impact on anybody at the time or if anyone even knew about it?

I searched for the discussion looking for "wizard of oz" (nothing returned) and then just "wizard" (got the coin supplies). Can you suggest a good search term for that discussion?

Also, the allegory is the book first. Some of the elements do not appear in the movie, the silver slippers, for instance, which are ruby in the film. Whether and to what extent Baum intended the story to be a parable is debatable. Even the history teacher who first proposed the theory retracted it. Also, that theory was published in 1964, long after the movie. In fact, the theory was revived in the publicity about the 50th Anniversary of the movie in 1989. From there, it lives a life of its own. Currently, numismatist Lane Brunner is giving talks on this theme.
• “Silver, Gold and the Wizard.” Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Colorado Springs, CO, September 17, 2005
• “The Wizard and Populism.” Everest College, Colorado Springs, CO, June 13, 2006
• “Gold, Silver and the Wizard.” Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Colorado Springs, CO, October 4, 2006
• “Gold, Silver and the Wizard of Oz.” National Money Show, Charlotte, NC, March 18, 2007
• “Gold, Silver and the Wizard of Oz.” South Suburban Coin Club, Denver, CO, July 26, 2007.

In an unpublished submission elsewhere I called the theory a "Zombie Crimewave." In debate (forensics) a zombie is an idea that will not die despite its lack of facts (life). The "crimewave" starts with the "Crime of '73" a term that might have been coined many years after the event.

Vess1 · 06-30-2009, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmarotta

I searched for the discussion looking for "wizard of oz" (nothing returned) and then just "wizard" (got the coin supplies). Can you suggest a good search term for that discussion?

I couldn't find the thread either. It may have come up in conversation in a thread that got side tracked. I clearly remember writing out all the info I found in a thread one evening. And I don't know what other forum I would have shared that with. I'll look one more time. I think this is an interesting tidbit that few people know about. I've explained it to a few people. Some wouldn't believe me. Most people have no idea there was a book.

Edit: I looked through my posts past the time when I thought I wrote it and did not find it. Maybe I sent it in an e-mail to somebody. So it looks like we haven't talked about it. I could have swore we did though.

900fine · 06-28-2009, 09:45 PM

I have heard this as well. The Tinman (worker) ? He needs a brain. The Cowardly Lion ? I heard it was politicians in general... they talk big, but they lack courage and guts.

It's interesting food for thought.

andycook · 06-29-2009, 01:02 AM

So where does the Dark Side of the Moon fit in all of this?

Siwash · 06-29-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andycook

So where does the Dark Side of the Moon fit in all of this?

my wife and I gave the whole, sequence the movie opening to the album thing a couple of years ago. It was a lark and a fun time!

I do take seriously the populism theme, however. I've read Baum's other Oz titles, and they nowhere have the impact.

coleguy · 06-29-2009, 01:32 AM

I think it was a lot of wishful thinking on Breen's part. In college we discussed this, among other books and their deeper meanings, and I don't recall bimetallism being mentioned. It was more a parallel to the great depression and the road to greener pastures and riches in the West, and a lot of other stuff.
Guy~

mmarotta · 06-30-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coleguy

I think it was a lot of wishful thinking on Breen's part. In college we discussed this, among other books and their deeper meanings, and I don't recall bimetallism being mentioned. Guy~

The Crime of '73 catches our attention, to be sure. One professor, Gretchen Ritter writing in “Silver Slippers and a Golden Cap: L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and Historical Memory in American Politics.” Journal of American Studies, Vol. 31, No. 2), notes that most people have to have the issue of Bimetallism explained to them. That might be why your college class did not perceive that. However, there are also racial and racialist allusions -- the Munchkins, Flying Monkeys, Winkies -- that had meaning back then and perhaps so still today. Also, in Evan Schwartz's book, (Finding Oz: How L. Frank Baum Discovered the Great American Story. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2009), he points to Freudian interpretations that seem, well, let's say "peculiar." So, everyone reads into this. But that is also the point. People don't read into The Alamo or Paul Bunyon stories. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is truly an American myth, for us what the Iliad and Odyssey were to the ancient Greeks.

That said, Walter Breen was not alone in identifying the political issues stemming from The Crime of '73. The first statement came in 1964 -- and from a journal published by his alma mater, interestingly enough. Before Breen, Michael A. Genovese placed a newspaper feature with the same theory and Genovese is a highly respected political scientist. In all, I have these citations from academic periodicals: American Quarterly, The Journal of Economic Education, The Journal of Political Economy, Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, Journal of American Studies, Public Relations Quarterly, EconEdLink: Council for Economic Education ... I have about the same number of separate citations from newspaper features such as Genovese's and a couple of books, again, limited to just the political and economic aspects, not the "Freudian" stuff.

willieboyd2 · 06-29-2009, 10:41 AM

Has anyone done a similar economic analysis for the Harry Potter books?

physics-fan3.14 · 06-29-2009, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willieboyd2

Has anyone done a similar economic analysis for the Harry Potter books?

Well, not to get into poliitics, but it seems obvious to me that Lord Voldemort is Obama. Harry Potter is the (as-yet-unknown) conservative hero who will rise up and save us from the Socialists, and his friends are obviously conservative talk show hosts (Ron Weasley is a parody of Rush Limbaugh? Think about it).

**GDJMSP** · 06-29-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by physics-fan3.14

Well, not to get into poliitics, but it seems obvious to me that Lord Voldemort is Obama. Harry Potter is the (as-yet-unknown) conservative hero who will rise up and save us from the Socialists, and his friends are obviously conservative talk show hosts (Ron Weasley is a parody of Rush Limbaugh? Think about it).

Not directed just at you, but to everyone - tread carefully. Fair warning.