The Wave is a fictional account of an experiment called TheThird Wave which took place in 1967 at Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California. As part of a study on Nazi Germany history teacher Ron Jones created an experimental demonstration of fascist movement with sophomore high school students attending his Contemporary History class. Jones, unable to explain to his students why the German citizens allowed the Nazi Party to exterminate millions of Jews and other so-called "undesirables", decided to show them instead. Jones started a movement called "The Third Wave" and convinced his students that the movement is to eliminate democracy. The fact that democracy emphasizes individuality was considered as a drawback of democracy, and Jones emphasized this main point of the movement in its motto: "Strength through discipline, strength through community, strength through action, strength through pride".
The experiment itself was not well documented but became famous with the publication of this novel.
After reading the novel post a response considering the following questions:
Do you think an "experiment" similiar to the wave could work at our school, explain why or why not?
Do you consider a "simulation" such as the wave, undertaken in the name of education, to be unethical? Explain your answer.
Do you think this "experiment" taught the students about the evils of fascism or reinforced the prejudices that were already present?
