The L. Frank Baum story ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is really an allegory of the 1896 US Presidential election. The Tin Woodsman is the Industrial worker, the Scarecrow is the farmer, the Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryan and the Wizard is William McKinley. There are several interesting web sites that deal with more of the “who’s who” and “why” of the story. VERY interesting.

(The Great Courses – The History of the United States)