Nazi Movement in Campus: An Analysis of the Rise of Centralized Power Based on the German Film “Die Welle”

Abstract

“Die Welle,” which won the German Film Prize in 2008, is a masterfully staged simulation of a fascist ideological control in a schoolyard. The design of the whole campus experiment reflects the results of Germany’s reflection on the anti-Nazi movement, warning the world that we are only five days away from the Nazis. It is a thought-provoking film that deepens the understanding of the Nazi nature of thought control in Germany and provides a dimension of reflection on extreme forms of dictatorship. Using “Die Welle” as a case study text, this paper takes the psychological basis of the rise of totalitarianism as an entry point and thus analyzes how the ideological apparatus uses this psychology to connect with individuals and explores how collectivism develops into authoritarian totalitarianism. This leads to the conclusion that the real root cause of the Nazi movement‘s herd mentality is the misfortune of individual society and the loss of individual rationality. The so-called unity and solidarity reinforced by the Nazi organization are intended to anesthetize the rationality of its members and to conceal its real purpose of manipulating them, which aims to maintain the growth of the organization by controlling the energy gained by them. The main reason for individual members to follow the Nazis blindly is to indulge their own desires and give up rational thinking, allowing Nazi control to be exploited.