He understood that secrecy could be not only an end in itself but also a political strategy. First, he deliberately created the Order of Illuminists as a political organization. In devising the Order ’s structure and doctrine, he made two important innovations. Weishaupt ’s greatest genius may have been his transformation of the secret-society model into an effective political instrument. Illuminism became a source of inspiration for revolutionaries on both the left and right of the political spectrum (Billington 1980). ![]() Theodor attempted to purge the Illuminati from positions of power, but military force cannot, in the end, stop the spread of ideas. Their exposure to Enlightenment philosophy affected the way they approached politics and probably also influenced those with whom they came into contact. Its membership included doctors, lawyers, judges, professors, and government officials. The Order ’s members were scattered across the upper echelons of Bavarian society, and many were well placed to influence others. Theodor could declare that anyone caught recruiting new members would be executed and thus ensure the effective end of the organization, but he could not stop the influence of Enlightenment ideas on those who had come into contact with them. Cloaked in secrecy and symbols, the real substance of the Illuminati was its propagation of Enlightenment ideas. By 1779, it had members in at least four other Bavarian cities, and by the time it was banned in 1787, its membership numbered between two and four thousand (Roberts 1972).Īlthough the Order of the Illuminists was shortlived, it had considerable influence. From its origins in Ingolstadt, the movement grew rapidly. Membership in the Illuminati proved tremendously appealing to members of the Bavarian middle and upper classes. Bavaria would be freed from the tyranny of the Church, and reason and equality would flourish. The Illuminati members were to infiltrate the social and political institutions of Bavaria and initiate a peaceful revolution. Only those within the movement ’s inner circle, the Areopagus, were told of its related political goals. ![]() Initiates read classical political philosophy, and as they moved through the movement ’s ranks they were gradually exposed to the Illuminati ’s true purpose: to spread the Enlightenment ideas of rationalism and egalitarianism. Members took pseudonyms (Weishaupt became Spartacus) and utilized Zoroastrian symbols to describe themselves and their ceremonies. Weishaupt deliberately recruited Freemasons and used the organization ’s structure and symbolism as a model for the Illuminati. Although he viewed the Jesuits as his enemies and the Freemasons as conservative and apolitical, he admired their secrecy, discipline, and organization, as well as their capacity to pursue their own interests even (in his view) at the expense of the interests of society as a whole (Roberts 1972). Weishaupt was convinced that a secret society was the most effective way to accomplish these goals, and he utilized his experience with the Jesuits and Freemasons to create his new organization. That frustration moved him to create the Illuminati, which he hoped would spread Enlightenment philosophy and put it into practice. Weishaupt was frustrated by their interference in the university curriculum, particularly their resistance to the dissemination of ideas of the French Enlightenment (Billington 1980). Its institutions were dominated by the Church, and the Jesuits controlled university education. ![]() The Illuminati emerged as a reaction to the social and political environment of Bavaria in the late eighteenth century. The Illuminati and their goals so threatened Bavaria ’s political and religious authorities that Karl Theodor, the prince-elector and duke of Bavaria (r. ![]() While these aims appear moderate, they were in fact a proposal for sweeping social change. The Order ’s stated mission was “to encourage a humane and sociable outlook to inhibit all vicious impulses to support Virtue, wherever she is threatened or oppressed by Vice, to further the advance of deserving persons and to spread useful knowledge among the broad mass of people who were at present deprived of all education ” (Johnson 1983, p. Although many groups have referred to themselves as “the Illuminati, ” or “enlightened ones, ” the term most commonly refers to the Order of Illuminists, an organization founded by Adam Weishaupt (1748 –1830), a law professor at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria, and four of his friends on May 1, 1776.
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