Conspiracy Theories: Then and Now
HANDOUT
The Illuminati
The oldest conspiracy theory in United States history implicated Thomas Jefferson and
other founders as members of a secret society of the “Enlightened” – the meaning of
Illuminati in Latin. The Illuminati conspiracy began in Europe: first in Spain, then France,
then notably in Germany. The Enlightened, wealthy and powerful members who
supposedly made up the conspiracy were believed by the theory’s followers to be
plotting against the Christianity of early modern Europe, hoping to replace religion with
18th century Enlightenment philosophy.
In the early United States there was even a claim that George Washington had been
furtively assassinated and replaced with an Illuminati leader. A clue to this was said to
be found on the reverse of the dollar bill, which contains a pyramid and an all-seeing
eye, Illuminati symbols. The words surrounding the pyramid, “Novus Ordo Seclorem “ (A
New Order of the Ages) and “Annuit Coeptis” (“Favors Our Undertakings”), with the
number 1776, were interpreted by conspiracy theorists to mean that the illuminated elite
had founded a new world society.
The myth of the Illuminati has persisted throughout our history. The Illuminati were
blamed for President Kennedy’s assassination by some adherents. And theories persist
to this day, with conspiracy theorists even implicating contemporary politicians and
celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, the Pope and members of the
British royal family in all sorts of schemes to reshape the world. (Reference: VOX
article)
WHEN: Which events fostered the proliferation of this conspiracy theory?
WHO: What people does this conspiracy theory target?
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (“The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned
Elders of Zion”) is a fabricated text circulated originally in 1903 in czarist Russia,
describing a supposed plan by Jewish leaders to dominate the world.
The document claimed to be reports of 24 meetings in Basel, Switzerland, of Zionist
Jews and Freemasons. The connection between the Freemasons (a fraternal society
that many U.S. founders were members of) and Jews was noted as an attack on
Christian society by proponents of the text.
Antisemitic Americans, most famously Henry Ford (founder of Ford Motors), published
and circulated the Protocols. They were especially popular during the Red Scare of the
1920s, when fear was rampant that immigrants and native socialists were threats to
capitalism.
The first conspiracy theories about Jews date back many centuries. The culmination of
these conspiracy theories was the Nazi Holocaust, but Jewish conspiracy theories
continue to today. For instance, George Soros, a Hungarian American Holocaust
survivor and billionaire philanthropist, is the target of antisemitic claims in the United
States. He has donated 32 million dollars to liberal causes. Ultra-right wing conspiracy
believers accuse him of creating, orchestrating and funding the Black Lives Matter
movement and groups of migrants entering the United States, and call him a “domestic
terrorist.” (Reference: Britannica article)
WHO: Which people would have a proclivity to support this conspiracy theory?
WHEN: Which events fostered the proliferation of this conspiracy theory?
Holocaust Denial
The visual record of concentration camps horrified the world in 1945, but memory was
short and the eternal conspiracies centering around Jews re-emerged in the later
twentieth century.
The myths circulated by the deniers rarely denied that concentration camps existed;
Rather, they said that the actual number of Jews killed by the Nazis was much smaller
than six million; that concentration camps did not practice mass murder, only forced
labor; and that the Nazi regime desired to deport Jews, not to exterminate them.
Maurice Bardèche of France was the “father figure of Holocaust denial.” Shortly after
the end of World War II, he wrote that Jews and communists had cooperated to lie
about the camps and Nazi policies. He claimed with no proof that the deaths in the
camps were not due to gas chambers but to poor nutrition, epidemics and the
weakening of the malnourished laborers. He is a hero of the neo-Fascist ultra-right in
Europe, even today.
Holocaust deniers’ “bogeyman” after 1945 was the threat of Soviet world
Communism, for which the deniers somehow implicated Jews. “Socialism,” as it is
misinterpreted today by ultra-rightwing groups like QAnon, continues the same brand of
conspiracy theory. (Reference: Southern Poverty Law Center article)
WHO: Which people would have a proclivity to support this conspiracy theory?
WHEN: Which events fostered the proliferation of this conspiracy theory?
QAnon
QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory supported by online communities that develop
and share shocking, false allegations about politicians and other prominent figures.
Essential to QAnon belief is the idea that a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles is
staging attempts to control the country and the world. Q activists believe a constellation
of ideas such as:
● There is an international child sex trafficking ring, and Hillary Clinton is one of its
leaders.
● The mass shootings of children and teenagers at Sandy Hook and Parkland were
staged and false – they were efforts to encourage gun control.
● Jews have started the California wildfires by shooting aerial lasers into the
forests.
QAnon is named for an anonymous social media influencer, who said he had been part
of the government and possessed its “Q” level security clearance. Q posted mysterious
“Q drops” on message boards, full of pro-Trump slogans and cryptic pledges.
A dozen Congressional candidates who support QAnon ran in the 2020 election. Most
of them were soundly beaten, but two of them have been seated in the House. Both of
these women say that they ran for Congress to “stop socialism.” (Reference: The New
York Times article)
WHO: Which people would have a proclivity to support this conspiracy theory?
WHEN: Which events fostered the proliferation of this conspiracy theory?
Fact-checking Conspiracy Theories
Review the following two sources and then answer the question below:
Factcheck.org review of some QAnon claims
Checked by reality, some QAnon supporters seek a way out
Do you think fact-checking has the power to weaken conspiracy theories? Why or why
not?
Aside from fact-checking, what is a good way to combat conspiracy theories?