The movie draws from the 1981 novel The Wave by Todd Strasser (writing as Morton Rhue) and a 1981 U.S. TV special.
The film is a modernized adaptation of true events and previous literary works: Die WelleMovie | 2008
During a project week on "Autocracy," high school teacher (played by Jürgen Vogel) is challenged by his students, who believe a dictatorship could never arise again in modern Germany. To prove them wrong, Wenger initiates a role-playing experiment: The movie draws from the 1981 novel The