Dan Snow investigates the real history of the Illuminati.
Obviously, a secret sect doesn’t control global events – despite what the internet says. But the myth of a shadowy cabal of elites grew out of a very real secret order, and one that went extinct within a decade. So what is the true story of the Illuminati? And why has it been blamed for every major crisis since, from the French Revolution to the New World Order?
Dan Snow and historian Michael Taylor unravel history’s greatest conspiracy theory once and for all.
0:00 Introduction
1:56 The origins of the order in 1776
4:31 Defining Enlightenment in conservative Bavaria
6:05 Why secret societies were formed
9:03 The symbol of Minerva and classical inspiration
11:25 How the Illuminati got its name
13:52 Recruitment, books, and secrecy
15:34 Rumours, lightning, and the underwear drawer leak
22:06 Did the original order achieve anything?
23:08 The French Revolution and the birth of the conspiracy theory
27:20 Augustin Barruel and John Robison’s influential books
34:05 How the myth adapted through the 19th and 20th centuries
37:32 The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Anti-Semitism
42:04 The modern Illuminati: From Davos to pop culture
Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Matthew Wilson & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes.
You can find more Dan Snow’s History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://bit.ly/4iTFm3x.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™
#DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #History
