Have you ever wondered why people follow leaders without questioning them? In 1967, a history teacher named Ron Jones started a Social Experiment called the Third Wave. He wanted to teach his students how easy it is to fall into authoritarian behavior. But he did not know how far it would go.
How the Third Wave Began
Ron Jones was a fun and popular history teacher at Cubberley High School. One day, a student asked him how people in Germany could follow someone like Hitler. Ron wanted to answer that question through a Social Experiment.
He set simple rules. Students had to greet him in a special way, sit quietly, and ask questions using three words or fewer. Jones promised good grades if they followed his rules. The students quickly obeyed. They felt part of something special.
The Social Experiment Spreads
What started in one classroom spread through the school. Every day, more students joined the Third Wave. They made posters and wore special armbands. Soon, more than 200 students were involved. They began reporting students who did not follow the rules.
Jones never planned for the Social Experiment to grow so big. Students even started to act as his personal bodyguards, thinking they were protecting a powerful movement.
The Truth Revealed
Jones knew things had gone too far. On the fifth day, he called everyone to a school meeting. He told students that the Third Wave was part of a nationwide movement. Then, he played a video of an influential leader. But the leader was Adolf Hitler.
The students realized they had easily fallen for the same tricks used in Nazi Germany. They felt shocked and upset. Ron Jones ended the Social Experiment by showing students how easy it is to lose their freedom without noticing.
Lessons Learned
The Third Wave taught an important lesson: Even ordinary people can follow bad leaders if they don’t ask questions. The students at Cubberley High School learned how easily they can be controlled by discipline and peer pressure.
Today, the Third Wave is remembered as a powerful example of why we must think for ourselves. It shows us the importance of asking questions and not just following orders.
Always remember that understanding history can help us make better choices today.
Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning and laughing a lot while you do, you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode right now!
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