The Wonderful Allegory of Oz: Baum’s Fairy Tale of America

You might think you know the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but when L. Frank Baum wrote the book in 1900, the United States was recovering from the Panic of 1893 — one of the worst economic crises in American history.

Some historians believe the book wasn’t just a fantasy… but an allegory of America in the late 19th century.

In this video, we explore how characters and symbols may represent real-world ideas:
• Dorothy as ordinary Americans
• the Scarecrow as underestimated farmers
• the Tin Woodman as industrial workers
• the Cowardly Lion and political power
• the Wicked Witches as economic forces
• the Yellow Brick Road and the gold standard
• the silver shoes and the free-silver movement
• the Emerald City as wealth that might be an illusion
• and the Wizard himself — a leader who looks powerful, but isn’t

Whether Baum intended it or not, the timing lines up with Populism, monetary debate, economic reform, and a country searching for direction.

Maybe Oz wasn’t just a magical land —
maybe it was America seen through a different lens.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
Thanks for being here.

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