The "Wizard of Oz" as a Monetary Allegory

@article{Rockoff1990TheO,
  title={The "Wizard of Oz" as a Monetary Allegory},
  author={H. J. Rockoff},
  journal={Journal of Political Economy},
  year={1990},
  volume={98},
  pages={739 - 760}
}
  • H. Rockoff
  • Published 1 August 1990
  • Economics
  • Journal of Political Economy
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, perhaps America's favorite children's story, is also an informed comment on the battle over free silver in the 1890s. The characters in the story represent real figures such as William Jennings Bryan. This paper interprets the allegory for economists and economic historians, illuminating a number of elements left unexplained by critics concerned with the politics of the allegory. It also reexamines Bryan and the case for free silver. Far from being monetary cranks… 
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Abstract L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has become popular as a teaching tool in economics. It has been argued that it was written as an allegory of Populist demands for a bimetallic…
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