# Wizard of Oz as a Populist allegory

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-of-oz-as-a-populist-allegory/168520>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 13, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-of-oz-as-a-populist-allegory/168520 "2003-04-13T23:53:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-of-oz-as-a-populist-allegory/168520/1 "2003-04-13T23:53:53Z")

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Was _The Wizard of Oz_ indeed a Populist allegory? This year we viewed clips from it in our American History Advanced Placement class and were informed of the alleged allegories within, but _tomndebb_ made a passing mention to this as an apparent myth in a recent thread.

What’s the Straight Dope?

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-of-oz-as-a-populist-allegory/168520/2 "2003-04-14T00:44:12Z")

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The Straight Dope has touched on this a time or two:

Beginning with [the Master’s comments](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_392.html) (including a link to a debunking).

Continuing through one [protracted discussion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171406) (with citations and everything).

And ending up as [satirical commentary](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171804).

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wizard-of-oz-as-a-populist-allegory/168520/3 "2003-04-14T00:53:42Z")

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Oh, and [this short thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171914) includes a reference to the author of the “populist” theory admitting that he made up the theory and that Baum had no populist leanings.