The Real History of Secret Societies

An introduction to secret societies; the personal experience of Professor Spence in his hometown of Taft, California; many cults are demonized by their enemies and misunderstood by outsiders; they become the stuff of myths and conspiracy theories.

Rhoads is 16 when she dies; the discovery of her body five years after her death opens the door to public awareness of the Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven; Professor Spence highlights that secret societies come in many forms.

The Knights Templar is a military monastic order founded during the Crusades; the knights endure through time to become the subject of much rumor and outright fantasy; knowing whether they are guardians for a holy bloodline or devil worshipers.

Professor Spence looks at the secret societies behind the Boston Tea Party and Bastille Day; the roles that the Sons of Liberty and others play in these important revolutions; Benjamin Franklin and other founders are involved with secret groups.

Learning whether the Bolsheviks are a secret society; surveying the rich history of governmental secret societies who combat revolutionary conspiracies; the allure of the elite and the power of conspiracy; the role of a well-oiled secret society.

The smaller secret societies pop up all over Germany at the end of the 19th century; the larger societies and individuals weave through the background of Hitler's rise to power; the Nazi leader embraces secret-society methods for his own purposes.

The 1930s see an economic crisis, Hitler's rise, Stalinist terror and the general decline of democracy; knowing whether there is a hidden hand at work undermining democratic institutions and encouraging dictatorship; movements tied to Synarchy ideas.

The Eleusinian Mysteries are among the most famous of the Greco-Roman world; this secret society endures for almost 2,000 years; its members include the likes of Socrates, Plato, Plutarch and Cicero; Spence considers if secret societies ever die.

Traveling to an empire that stretches from Anatolia to Central Asia; the Assassins, whose roots reach back to the beginning of Islam in the 7th century; the term assassin is linked to the asaiyun, who are the cause of 200 years of terrorism.

Professor Spence starts with the 1244 fall of Montsegur; as Professor Spence demonstrates, this influential group shows up over and over throughout history; the Cathars inherit and adapt much older beliefs; they undoubtedly influence other groups.

Professor Spence introduces The Ancient and Mystical Order of the Rosae Crucis; during the early 20th century, H. Spencer Lewis claims that "The Secrets Entrusted to the Few," including skills like telepathy, could be available for a low price.

The roots of the 28-year-old Adam Weishaupt's secret society, the Order of Perfectibilists, which becomes the Order of the Illuminati; how Weishaupt envisions nothing less than a new world; it necessitates the destruction of all forms of religion.

The Freemasons do not hide their existence; they popularize the idea of secrecy and adopt a clandestine set of identifying factors; their rituals are intimidating; having a term for outsiders or non-members; the multiple evolutions of Freemasons.

The Irish Republican Army is a tightly organized secret society battling the British Empire; they are not the first secret society to practice resistance in Ireland; Professor Spence introduces The Whiteboys and the Peep o'Day Boys, among others.

Professor Spence opens the door on secret-society conspiracy; The Learned Elders of Zion never existed; to this made-up secret society is attributed a real-life protocol to take over the world; it causes incalculable harm and religious intolerance.

Whether criminal gangs qualify as secret societies; they are selective in membership and require oaths; members usually advance through grades; from the 20th-century thugs of India to the modern-day mafias in many cities; the underbelly of society.

Focusing on the impact of Aleister Crowley, Professor Spence highlights the murky connections between secret societies, occultism and espionage, and the number of world-changing events Crowley, known for being a wicked man, has a hand in.

How some politically-driven secret societies have an impact; Professor Spence describes the time when America is full of Soviet espionage and secret communist activity; he shows how the Communist party relies on proven secret-society techniques.

How the Black Dragons have an impact in pushing Japan into militarism and a devastating war; exploring Asian-based groups, including the Green Dragons and the Genyosha; they dabble in major bombings and a plan to assassinate Charlie Chaplin.

Propaganda-Due is an Italian pseudo-Masonic organization; it is tied to mysteries and corruption; it is made up of senior military and police officers, parliament members, journalists and the heads of all three of Italy's intelligence agencies.

Professor Spence turns to The U.S. Secret and Civil Service Society, Self-Supporting Branch; he covers the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan; the secret societies that emerge during this period act as a reflection of America at the turn of the century.

Some elite secret societies only recruit members who are already rich or influential; the Bohemian Club, the Skull & Bones Society and more; these men-only clubs are rumored to dabble in black arts, unusual rituals and conspiratorial agendas.

Professor Spence introduces a story about Aleister Crowley's secret society, Ordo Templi Orientis; he debates the merits of truth around it; stories about UFOs and the Priory of Sion; other groups developed from hoaxes designed to distract.

The 1920 Wall Street bombing and the events of 9/11; secret societies embrace terrorism as a mind game; most secret orders are more or less harmless; Professor Spence peers inside some which have used violence to further their agendas.

An in-depth look at The Order, FEAR, the Silver Legion of America and others; Professor Spence demonstrates how so many of these secret societies beget, influence or result in other ones; suggesting that there are more that remain a secret.