Transcript No Slide Title

These are
valuable tools for
the propagandist
They make a political
point without
“naming names”
All are examples of this
Another story ….
One you are certainly
familiar with ...
Is a parable
about Populism
In fact, you almost
certainly saw the
movie that was
based on this book.
The book’s about Populism
Let’s review
populism….
A turn-of-thecentury movement
took root in the
mid-west ….
The “farm belt”
Farmers had borrowed
money to buy modern (for
that time) equipment. Just
like today, they relied on a
good economy and good
weather to allow them to
repay the loans.
(What is deflation?)
That’s when too few
dollars are in circulation
What happens to value when
there is too little of something?
Farmers were having
difficulty paying off the
loans due to deflation and
To make matters worse,
their income could be
impacted by weather such
as...
Bankers, industrialists
and government turned a
“deaf ear” when farmers
suggested an increase in
the money supply
High immigration kept
industry wages low
While farmers re-paid
loans with dollars that were
worth “more” than those
they borrowed
High immigration kept
industry wages low
While farmers re-paid
loans with dollars that were
worth “more” than those
they borrowed
Populists wanted “free
minting” of silver to
increase the money supply
They suggested a 16:1
to
ratio
There had been silver strikes
in Montana and elsewhere in
the Northwest. MORE
SILVER!
Uncle Sugar, the bankers and
the industrialists liked things
as they were
They told the farmers
to leave “economics”
to people smart
enough to understand
Populists decided
to take things in
their own hands
They supported a
presidential candidate who
was ...
A Great Orator...
He could hold a
crowd “spellbound”
Ran for President
and lost
Three times
O.K.
Lets take a
look at the
story
How are silver and
gold measured?
By the ounce, of course
…and what is the
abbreviation for ounce?
Does that ring a bell?
Where does the story begin?
Right in the middle of the farm belt
Who goes to Oz?
Dorothy and Toto...
…and Toto … en toto
En toto …. In total … all together…..
Dorothy represents ...
Her house lands on the
Wicked Witch of the...
who is wearing...
No, they were made of
Her house lands on the
Wicked Witch of the...
who is wearing...
No, they were made of
The movie was filmed
using a WONDERFUL
NEW PROCESS called ...
The studio executives
decided “ruby shoes”
would “show off” the new
film process with their
sparkling red color.
Dorothy meets the good witch of the...
Where was a silver strike?
Is Montana in the North?
… and how about gold strikes?
And Alaska is …….
She tells Dorothy to put
on the silver slippers
and follow the...
Let’s take a moment to examine...
Could that represent
the silver/gold parity?
Might the Wicked Witch
of the East represent
and
?
As Dorothy headed down the
road, she met….
WHO DO YOU SUPPOSE
SCARECROW REPRESENTS?
He had been told how
simple and stupid he was...
Was he really stupid?
Then they met...
Who wanted a ...
He had been de-humanized
by working too hard
Who might Tin Man represent?
Who else had been dehumanized?
He had been de-humanized
by working too hard
Who might Tin Man represent?
Who else had been dehumanized?
Remember the
immigrants? Those
poor souls who so
outnumbered jobs that
their value was nil?
… and maybe the
Munchkins – those poor
little people who lived in
a land ruled by the
Wicked Eastern Witch –
represent them too
They next met….
Who wanted ….
He was ALL ROAR
with no substance
Hmmmmm… a great orator
…. Unable to follow through
Who might the lion represent?
…perhaps Bryan???
We aren’t
finished yet
Who tried to keep
them away from Oz?
The Wicked
Witch of the...
WEST
Weather systems
in the northern
hemisphere
move from….
What kind of
weather plagued
the farmers?
Remember 1860, 1880’s?
…and what is
the cure for
drought?
WATER!
H2O
…and what
destroyed the
Wicked Witch of the
West?
Who did Dorothy and the rest
think could solve their problems?
…and could he???
He was a charlatan!
The Wizard claimed all
sorts of powers he really
didn’t possess
Who or what does he represent?
Who claims to be able to solve
ALL of our problems even
though they can’t?
The Wizard claimed all
sorts of powers he really
didn’t possess
Who or what does he represent?
Who claims to be able to solve
ALL of our problems even
though they can’t?
Who claimed to be “all
knowing” and best equipped
to make decisions?
Do you think the wizard
might represent the
government?
In fact, according to the
story, who had the power
to get Dorothy home?
She did!
…and according to
the Populists, who
really has the power,
the authority to make
decisions?
Who has the power to
determine what becomes
of us …. Where we go?
Each of us controls
his own destiny
L. Frank Baum never actually said
his story was about Populism
But HE WAS a populist
Everything fits so well it seems a
shame to let it go to waste
…and besides
… just one more example
of political statements
being made through the
arts.
… just one more example
of political statements
being made through the
arts.
This Power Point Presentation © J. M. Joeb
www.teacherjoe.com
Permission for educational use is granted.