Classics: Die Welle

Gymnasium teacher Rainer Wenger starts a project in his class during a study week on the subject of "Forms of State" with the intention of making a dictatorship palpable. What begins quite innocently with notions of peer pressure and discipline develops after a few days into a serious movement called "Die Welle. Already on the third day, the students begin to exclude dissenters. Opponents of 'Die Welle' become enemies and old friendships are ended. Criticism of 'Die Welle' is met with aggression and intimidation. The conflicts pile up until the situation inevitably escalates.

In 1967, a teacher at a California high school conducted a multi-day experiment to make second graders experience adolescent receptivity to fascism. The event, in addition to feature film Die Welle, has since led to colorful teaching materials in several countries, including the acclaimed documentary Lesson Plan (2011).