: Explore the Freemasons and Illuminati paper from UC Berkeley for a fact-checked breakdown. Inside the Illuminati and the New World Order

In its early days, the group operated within Freemason lodges to recruit influential intellectuals and progressive thinkers. However, this "enlightenment" was short-lived. By 1785, the Bavarian government officially disbanded the order, and Weishaupt was banished. 2. From History to "New World Order"

: Theories suggest infiltration of the UN, IMF, and World Bank.

If the group was dismantled over 200 years ago, why is it still the face of modern conspiracy? The transition from a historical footnote to a global mastermind theory began shortly after the French Revolution. Skeptics, like John Robison, published works claiming the Illuminati hadn't vanished but had actually moved underground to orchestrate the revolution.

The real Illuminati wasn't a centuries-old cabal of bankers. It was founded on May 1, 1776, in Bavaria by , a professor of law. At its core, the Order of the Illuminati was a product of the Enlightenment . Weishaupt’s goal was to promote rationalism, free expression, and secularism while opposing the overreach of the state and the religious domination of the Catholic Church.

: Commonly seen on the U.S. dollar bill, many link this "all-seeing eye" to the Illuminati. Historically, there is no evidence Weishaupt’s group ever used it; it was primarily a Christian and later Masonic symbol.

Today, the "Modern Illuminati" is depicted as an elite cabal controlling: