“How could Germans follow Hitler?” To answer this question, history teacher Ron Jones created a fascist movement in his California high school classroom. It was supposed to last one day. By day five, 200 students were fanatical members. Jones had to end it before it spiraled out of control.
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🔬 The Experiment (1967)
Teacher: Ron Jones, Cubberley High School, Palo Alto
Question: How did ordinary Germans become Nazis?
Method: Create a mini-fascist movement
Day 1: Discipline
- Strict rules (posture, quick responses)
- Students loved the structure
Day 2: Community
- Created salute (cupped hand, wave)
- Motto: “Strength through discipline, strength through community”
- Students began policing each other
Day 3: Action
- Membership cards
- Assigned roles (security, recruitment)
- 200+ students joined
Day 4: Pride
- Students reported “traitors”
- Bullied non-members
- Fanatical devotion
Day 5: Termination
- Jones called assembly
- Revealed it was an experiment
- Showed footage of Nazi rallies
- “You would have been good Nazis”
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😱 What Happened
Student behavior:
- Turned on friends
- Became aggressive
- Lost individuality
- Followed orders blindly
Jones realized: It had gone too far. Students were becoming actual fascists.
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💡 Lessons
Why it worked:
- Humans crave belonging
- Structure feels safe
- Groupthink overrides morality
- Ordinary people can become extremists
Applications:
- Explains rise of fascism
- Cult recruitment
- Political extremism
- Social media radicalization
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The Third Wave: proof that fascism can happen anywhere, anytime!