I recently listened to a six part deep dive into the Illuminati by Behind the Bastards, the same historical podcast as was the source for my post about the cigarette industry's massive influence on modern society. This time though, it wasn't big tobacco leaving a lasting impact on modern societies.
The Illuminati in question, at least for the first two episodes, were the Bavarian Illuminati, which sprung up as a consequence of a disillusioned Freemason, Adam Weishaupt. Apparently, he'd been hoping for more of a secret cabal, rather than the "AAA membership with discounts at local stores", roughly paraphrasing the host, Robert Evans. So, like any annoyed genius, he started his own secret organization. But because secret recruitment is difficult, he decided to cast his net where the fishing would be particularly good - within the Freemason community. After all, where better to seek members for a secretive organization than within the ranks of a secretive organization?
Nowadays, the Illuminati is almost entirely remembered as an opposition to the Church. And while Weishaupt was a staunch atheist, which did land him in quite a bit of hot water with the Jesuit university he taught at, there was more to the ideology of the Illuminati. He espoused a very liberal mindset, supporting elections, and a woman's freedom for abortions. Amazingly, the ridiculous modern stories actually have nothing on the truth about how the Bavarian Illuminati came to light - a messenger was struck by lightning and killed. When authorities found a note on his body, they searched his home, which was full of documents that were seen as problematic. Sure, elections were a radical idea, but authorities even found documents outlining a support network which helped perform abortions. Ultimately, this led to the banning of the Illuminati due to fears that they were a mighty organization capable of controlling society.
Unfortunately, the controversial opinions outlined by the Bavarian Illuminati are not the only connection to modern American politics. As conspiracies gained ground among more radical branches of American politics, particularly starting in the sixties, the idea of Illuminati and control percolated to the surface again. The "enemy" wasn't just the Reds, as the shadows apparently hid another huge threat. The Illuminati were still at it according to those folks. This undercurrent grew and now conspiracy theorists of all leanings have the tools needed to rapidly disseminate their ideas, polluting the minds of more and more folk.
Ultimately, the podcast does an amazing job with the story - I really can't compete with a journalist and great storyteller and I just wanted to share some interesting information that I learned. So, next time you hear about the Illuminati running the world just know, those heinous people were started by a law professor and five students who supported elections and women's reproductive rights.
