Die Welle Flashcards
Summary
The scenes that are most important are usually in the classroom.
The teacher Rainer has to teach an autocracy class.
Most students do not believe that a dictatorship could develop in Germany today.
Mr Rainer starts an experiment to show how people in society can be manipulated easily into a dictatorship.
He uses tactics to guide them which results in the construction of a new ideological belief.
Firstly, the class must address Rainer as ‘Mr Wenger’.
If they want to speak, they have to stand up and answer briefly and directly.
The more the class progresses, the more the wave is established:
- Mr Wenger suggested a uniform for the class. (takes away from individuality)
- The wave logo and a salute are also developed.
Even though the students were adopting fascism, they were not aware themselves, and started harassing people who were not part of their group.
The students became more and more interested in the Wave movement through these developments, especially for the students who do not have good relationships at home (Marco and Tim), because the Wave gives a sense of belonging
These ideological motives also made some of the students really attached to the group, such as one dysfunctional student called Tim who was so attached to the group to an extent that he committed suicide when he found out that his teacher wanted to stop the movement.
Other important parts
-They have the whole city, like restaraunts and a cathedral splashed with colour
-Two fights: Graffiti scene & Crowd at water polo game
Producer
Dennis Gansel
Characters
Rainer
Tim - outcast, who then became included because of the experiment
Karo - oppose the wave
Marco - Karo’s boyfriend
Mona - oppose the wave
Tim
From the beginning, Tim had an interest in the wave.
He takes things to the extreme:
- After a discussion about big companies not taking responsibility for their actions, he burns all his branded clothes.
- During an argument with a graffiti group, he took out a gun.
- He offers Wenger to be his bodyguard. Wenger declines the offer, but Tim has been sleeping outside his house.
As the film shows, without the wave, he is alone but the wave offers him friends. Tim feels very connected to the group as he has finally become an accepted member of a social group.
Rainer
- The teacher Rainer is very liberal and did not want to teach the class autocracy at the beginning.
- During the development of the film we see that he also does not see the danger of the wave:
- His wife, Karo and Marco warn him, but the wave gives him a sense and respect and unfortunately he can’t grasp this danger, or maybe he doesn’t want to believe it.
- Unfortunately, he realises the escalation too late.
Themes
-Sense of belonging
-Exclusion - they exclude students who are not a part of the wave
-Fascism
-Social experiments
-Psychological phenomena
What is Fascism
Fascism is an extreme right-wing and authoritarian political ideology.
The movie is about a person who is seen as the ‘leader’ and has ultimate authority - suppresssion of all opposition, social hierarchy, strict discipline in society and the economy.
The welfare of the group is considered more important that the interests of the individual.
Fascism Discipline
The pupils must address the teacher Rainer as ‘Mr Wenger’
They have to stand up when they speak to him and give short and direct answers
They wear white T-shirts and jeans as a uniform
These rules show how a fascist leader begins. Mr Wenger asserts his leadership role when he demonstrates his authority to the students. But it is important to note that the students themselves chose Mr Wenger as their leader
Fascism Exclusion
Example 1:
Karo, who does not wear the uniform, is excluded.
Her friend Marco doesn’t understand why Karo doesn’t join and why she wants to leave Germany. He says the wave feels like a community
Example 2:
The children who are part of Die Welle do not want to let another child who is not part of the group in to the building.
We quickly see how the people who don’t follow the group’s ideas are excluded.
The leaders use this to turn people against each other and reinforce the hierarchy
Fascism- Freedom of speech
Example 1:
Karo suggests choosing a name that only she votes for. She is already excluded for not wearing the uniform
Example 2:
When Karo distributes the anti-die Welle fliers, the whole group tries to discard of them so nobody can read them
If Mr. Wenger doesn’t want to hear someone’s idea, he tells them to sit down.
Individual ideas are not encouraged and everything is decided by the group as a whole
Fascism measures
We can see this when the students take it into their own hands to smear graffiti on the walls, organise parties just for die welle and ostracise or attack anyone who doesn’t belong to the group
Actions are an important part of fascism, otherwise they are just ideas
Social Experiment
The film is based on a social experiment ‘the third wave’
A teacher in California tried to teach students how people accepted the situation during the Nazi era in Germany.
The experiment only lasted 5 days and was stopped before it escalated - it didn’t turn violent like the film
Escalation of the Wave
example 1:
Tim takes the whole movement very seriously and doesn’t want it to end. He is uncontrollable and shoots himself and another student
Example 2:
Marco hits Karo and he doesn’t know why. Maybe it’s because of the violence in the group Die Welle and Karo’s rebellion against it.
It wouldn’t be ethical to conduct such a trial now - much like the film, it could easily escalate. But he knows that what he has done is not right
Deindividualisation and Herd mentality
People in a group do things they wouldn’t normally do. You start to see yourself as part of the group and no longer as an individual. You start to follow the social norms of the group.
Eg: fan aggression at football matches
Herd mentality is the tendency of people to follow the crowd and conform to society
