The Illuminati as Political Ideology
Political ideology has always permeated conspiracy theories. From the belief in an almighty native chief that threatened colonists in the 17th century to the modern Q-Anon, the belief in conspiracy theories has always had a tine piercing the status quo. Socialists conjured up the belief in the machinations of capitalist subversion of the legal system (they weren't always wrong about this either). The belief that secret societies were quietly turning the population against the status quo seems to have been the domain of conservative angst over the populous' revolt against their values. We have to look no further than the ubiquitous belief in the Illuminati. Even the original, actual Illuminati that merely sought to spread the philosophy of the Enlightenment was vilified as seeking a coup against the theocratic Bavarian government. This belief spread during the French revolution as it was understood (though never proven) that they had infiltrated Free Mason lodges, Jacobin grou...