Populism had incredible appeal in the southern states where poverty and hatred seemed the greatest. The people felt trapped between the republican bankers of the North and the new1y freed slaves, against whom they had to compete in the open labor market. Populist politicians found that they could do relatively little to control the bankers and the wealthy privileged, but in the newly freed slaves they found a scapegoat for all their problems and …showed first 75 words of 906 total…

…showed last 75 words of 906 total…oe, her 'sole' (soul). Gilnda theme color was red, which probably stood for the red soil of the south. The silver shoes represent the magic of free silver. I believe that The Wizard of Oz is an allegorical tale of the Populist movement. Almost all of the characters and things in this book symbolize something from the populist movement. Baum is a very creative writer and since he agreed with Populism, he wrote this story.