The first rule of this course is you don’t talk about this course. The second rule of this course is YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT THIS COURSE. Welcome to The Real History of Secret Societies, a historical look at the true-life groups which, if you believe the myths, are the unspoken power behind some of the world’s major turning points, from controlling the British crown to holding back the electric car and keeping Martians and Atlantis under wraps.
Author(s): Richard B. Spence
Series: The Great Courses
Publisher: The Teaching Company
Year: 2019-09
Language: English
Pages: 186
Professor Biography......Page 3
Table of Contents......Page 5
Course Scope......Page 7
Lecture 1—Small-Town Secrets......Page 9
Taft, California......Page 10
Lecture 2—Secret Societies: The Underworld of History......Page 11
The Blackburn Cult......Page 12
Defining Features......Page 13
Throughout History......Page 14
Questions to Consider......Page 16
Lecture 3—The Knights Templar......Page 17
Medieval Origins......Page 18
In Decline......Page 19
Continued Influence......Page 22
Questions to Consider......Page 23
Lecture 4—Masonic Revolutions in America and France......Page 24
The Sons of Liberty......Page 25
Lodge of Nine Sisters......Page 26
The Freemasons......Page 28
The Jacobins......Page 30
The Bavarian Illuminati......Page 31
Questions to Consider......Page 32
Lecture 5—Bolsheviks, Masons, and Russian Revolution......Page 33
Masonic Influence......Page 34
Bolsheviks and Mensheviks......Page 35
Lenin and Trotsky......Page 36
The Mad Monk......Page 38
Questions to Consider......Page 39
Lecture 6—Adolf Hitler and the Thule Society......Page 40
German Brotherhoods......Page 41
Setting the Stage......Page 42
Hitler’s Rise to Power......Page 44
Questions to Consider......Page 46
Lecture 7—Synarchy, Schemers, and Vichy France......Page 47
A Mysterious Death......Page 48
Synarchism......Page 49
Synarchy in France......Page 50
Synarchy in America......Page 52
Questions to Consider......Page 53
Lecture 8—Ancient Mystery Cults......Page 54
The Eleusinian Mysteries......Page 55
Mysterious Origins......Page 56
The Pythagorean Brotherhood......Page 57
The Mithraic Mysteries......Page 59
Questions to Consider......Page 60
Lecture 9—The Islamic Assassins......Page 61
The Assassins......Page 62
The History......Page 63
The Methods......Page 64
The Aftermath......Page 66
Questions to Consider......Page 67
Lecture 10—The Medieval Cathars......Page 68
The Fall of Montségur......Page 69
Origins and Beliefs......Page 70
Apparent Disappearance......Page 72
Questions to Consider......Page 73
Lecture 11—The Rosicrucians......Page 74
Harvey Spencer Lewis......Page 75
Early Rosicrucianism......Page 76
Possible Origins......Page 78
Questions to Consider......Page 79
Lecture 12—The Illuminati......Page 80
Adam Weishaupt......Page 81
The Organization......Page 82
Heirs and Offshoots......Page 84
Questions to Consider......Page 85
Lecture 13—The Freemasons......Page 86
Rites and Rituals......Page 87
Origins of Freemasonry......Page 89
Political Involvement......Page 91
Questions to Consider......Page 92
Lecture 14—Ireland’s Secret War for Independence......Page 93
Bloody Sunday......Page 94
Historical Background......Page 96
The New Century......Page 98
Questions to Consider......Page 100
Lecture 15—Debunking the Elders of Zion......Page 101
Uncertain Origins......Page 102
A Wider Audience......Page 104
The Protocols on Trial......Page 106
Questions to Consider......Page 107
Lecture 16—Mafia! Criminal Secret Societies......Page 108
The Mafia......Page 109
Thuggee......Page 111
Aryan Brotherhood......Page 112
Questions to Consider......Page 113
Lecture 17—Aleister Crowley, Occultism, and Espionage......Page 114
Aleister Crowley......Page 115
Occultism and Espionage......Page 117
Theosophy......Page 118
Questions to Consider......Page 120
Lecture 18—Red Octopus: The Communist International......Page 121
Secret Communists......Page 122
The Comintern......Page 123
Later Influence......Page 124
Questions to Consider......Page 126
Lecture 19—Japan’s Black and Green Dragons......Page 127
Violent Origins......Page 128
The Black Dragons......Page 129
The Green Dragons......Page 131
Questions to Consider......Page 133
Lecture 20—Italy’s Secret Government: The P2 Lodge......Page 134
A Distinguished Roster......Page 135
Setting the Stage......Page 136
Michele Sindona......Page 138
Questions to Consider......Page 139
Lecture 21—From the KKK to the Black Shriners......Page 140
The Ku Klux Klan......Page 141
The Shriners......Page 144
Questions to Consider......Page 145
Lecture 22—Bohemian Grove, Bilderbergers, and Elites......Page 146
The Bohemian Club......Page 147
The Bilderberg Group......Page 150
The Society of the Elect......Page 151
Questions to Consider......Page 153
Lecture 23—Secret Societies for Aging Swingers......Page 154
The OTO......Page 155
Lights in the Sky......Page 156
The Priory of Sion......Page 158
Questions to Consider......Page 159
Lecture 24—Terrorism’s Long Trail of Secret Cells......Page 160
Anarchists......Page 161
Revolutionary Marxists......Page 163
The War on Terror......Page 164
Questions to Consider......Page 167
Lecture 25—Secret Societies: The Never-Ending Story......Page 168
Robert Jay Mathews......Page 169
Isaac Aguigui......Page 170
William Dudley Pelley......Page 171
Francis Parker Yockey......Page 172
Questions to Consider......Page 174
Quiz......Page 175
Bibliography......Page 181
Image Credits......Page 186
