The Hidden History of the Illuminati

WatchMojo

1/14/2024

The REAL Illuminati isn't what you think.

Transcript

00:00 a secret group said to comprise of the world's most powerful people seeking to establish a new

00:06 world order. In the digital age, where misinformation spreads as swiftly as legitimate

00:11 news, the Illuminati have become a staple of conspiracy theories, often portrayed as the

00:17 shadowy puppeteers behind global events. But who are the real Illuminati? "You're with the Illuminati."

00:27 "I beg your pardon. It's no such thing. It's just a bedtime story."

00:32 The historical Illuminati, officially known as the Bavarian Illuminati, was a secret society

00:40 founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, a professor at the University of Ingolstadt. Frustrated with

00:46 church dogma and spiritual stagnation, Weishaupt wanted to introduce change. Emerging during the

00:53 Enlightenment, the Illuminati questioned religious and royal authority, advocating for intellectual

00:59 freedom, secularism, and self-expression, in stark contrast to the norms of the time.

01:04 "Weishaupt wanted to undermine the state from within, and he sought to achieve this with the help of a

01:11 secret society." Weishaupt was inspired by Freemasonry, a fraternal organization promoting

01:17 moral and spiritual values. He adopted a hierarchical system of ranks within the Illuminati,

01:23 including Novice, Minerval, and Illuminated Minerval. Members often used aliases to

01:28 maintain secrecy, with Weishaupt himself going by the name Spartacus. Other notable members

01:35 included Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder, influential thinkers of their

01:41 time. The society sought to establish friendly relations with Freemasonry, recognizing shared

01:47 values and seeing it as a strategic move to gain influence. Weishaupt specifically poached his

01:52 men from the Freemasons. "Joining the Illuminati in 1780, Adolf Freyherr König played a significant

01:59 role in these efforts, recruiting other Freemasons such as himself. The group expanded to include

02:05 members of the nobility and political figures, creating a network of influential individuals

02:10 committed to Enlightenment ideals." They even created a rulebook which stated that "the order

02:16 of the day is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them

02:22 without dominating them." However, their progressive agenda quickly brought them into

02:27 conflict with established authorities. The exact membership of the Illuminati at its peak is

02:32 debated. By the end of 1784, there were around 650 verifiable members, while Weishaupt claimed

02:41 a figure closer to 2,500, but loose talk led to the society's exposure. By 1785, the Bavarian

02:49 government, influenced by the Catholic Church's opposition to the group's secular ideas,

02:54 banned all secret societies, leading to the disbandment of the Illuminati. "Only 10 years

03:00 after being founded, the Illuminati were banned. Membership now carried the death penalty."

03:07 After their dissolution, the Illuminati became a vessel for various conspiracy theories.

03:12 In the 1790s, French priest Augustin Barruel and Scottish physicist John Robinson published

03:19 works falsely blaming the group for the French Revolution. They claimed that the Illuminati

03:23 had survived and sought to overthrow monarchies and religious institutions across Europe. These

03:29 accusations occurred within a broader effort to discredit Enlightenment ideas, by pointing to the

03:34 chaos of the Revolution. While there's no evidence to support Barruel and Robinson's claims, the

03:44 narrative serves to vilify the Illuminati and link them to societal upheaval. Within short order,

03:50 these conspiracy theories reached the United States, eliciting fervent sermons and panic.

03:56 Amid Cold War tensions in the 1950s, the Illuminati were named alongside Freemasons

04:02 in the New World Order conspiracy theory. In what became known as the Second Red Scare,

04:07 or McCarthyism, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy spearheaded a campaign of fear and

04:13 persecution against alleged communists in America. In that anxious climate,

04:23 conspiracy theorists allege that a communist elite was conspiring to create a totalitarian

04:29 world government. The theory has often featured anti-Semitic undertones,

04:33 implicating Jewish figures and families as part of a global cabal.

04:42 Public imagination has also linked the Illuminati to Satanism. In the 1980s,

04:47 the Satanic panic swept through American society, with false accusations of ritual abuse becoming

04:52 widespread. Perhaps the most dangerous kind of devil worship comes in the form of underground

04:58 cults. It was triggered in part by the discredited practice of recovered memory therapy,

05:03 and the perception of conservative parents that new trends, such as Dungeons and Dragons

05:08 and heavy metal music, represented Satanic influence. One of the most prominent cases

05:17 was the McMartin Preschool Trial, where members of the McMartin family were accused of numerous

05:22 acts of child abuse. These allegations were later proven to be entirely unfounded,

05:28 but not before causing a national outcry. And in the end, Ray Bucky and his mother Peggy

05:33 were acquitted. In the 21st century, popular fascination with the Illuminati, Satanism,

05:39 and celebrity culture have converged, with celebrities like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Katy Perry,

05:45 Kesha, and Lady Gaga accused of being members, their music videos analyzed for supposed symbols

05:52 of allegiance. According to Illuminati conspiracy theorists, there's only one road to fame,

05:58 a pact with the devil. Strangely, the super-secret society seems to have no problem with

06:06 celebrities signalling their membership. Such symbolism is said to function as subliminal

06:11 propaganda, compelling people toward black magic. Beware the evil power of triangles.

06:17 Today's conspiracy theory culture provides fertile soil for claims about the Illuminati.

06:25 The allure has only intensified in recent decades, thanks in part to a history of actual conspiracies

06:31 being exposed. Real events such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the CIA's MKUltra program,

06:38 and CIA-led coups in foreign countries have contributed to widespread distrust of authority.

06:44 Operation Berkshire, a program initiated in 1976 by the world's major tobacco companies,

06:51 manufactured and promoted controversy over the established link between smoking and disease.

06:57 These actual conspiracies lend a veneer of plausibility to more outlandish theories,

07:03 blurring the line between fact and fiction. Conspiracy theories have become staples of

07:15 film and TV, further embedding them into the public consciousness. Social media

07:21 and the internet have also played pivotal roles. The abundance of information,

07:26 including misinformation and disinformation, seems to have made the problem worse.

07:31 Algorithms create echo chambers, reinforcing existing beliefs and biases. The rise of

07:37 movements like QAnon, with its echoes of the Satanic Panic, demonstrates that these theories

07:42 have real-world repercussions. In recent years, we've seen conspiracy theories erupt in actual

07:48 violence, such as with Pizzagate and the Capitol Riot. Many of these theories cherry-pick evidence,

07:54 and are constructed to be unfalsifiable, where contradicting evidence is interpreted as part

07:59 of the conspiracy. Got an argument against the theory? You must be part of the Illuminati.

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08:18 One appeal of Illuminati conspiracy theories lies in the simplicity of such explanations for

08:26 seemingly complex global events. The Illuminati acts as a catch-all super-villain for the many

08:32 problems that plague the world. Sure, your own eyes and ears might tell you that the world is

08:40 a complicated place, driven by competing interests and factions… but that's an illusion. A secret

08:46 cabal is pulling all the strings, orchestrating world events. This cabal can predict just how

08:52 events will unfold, and plan for every variable - a trope known in fiction as the "Xanatos Gambit".

08:59 Every outcome is part of a grand plan. In a world where we often feel helpless,

09:04 where powerful individuals, factions, corporations and lobby groups control events and narratives,

09:11 it's a lot easier to blame one overarching villain. Illuminati conspiracy theories offer comfort,

09:17 giving the illusion of order and control. And because this villain is so abstract,

09:23 we don't actually have to do anything about it. Have you got one of those friends who's

09:31 convinced that Illuminati lizard people are cloning pop stars underneath Denver Airport?

09:37 What do you say to them? Tell us in the comments.

09:39 Good evening, your uh… lizardness?

09:42 Oh, we're not that important. It's not like we control the world.

09:46 Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,

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09:54 [Music]

The Hidden History of the Illuminati

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