Conspiracy Theories: Then and Now

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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 Illumgan 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 Christianity of early modern Europe,
hoping to replace religion with 18 century Enlightenment philosophy.
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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