: The modern version was largely popularized by 20th-century works like The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, which blended real history with satirical fiction, and Dan Brown's Angels & Demons .
Despite its historical dissolution, the concept of the Illuminati resurfaced as a central fixture of conspiracy fiction and pop culture . what is the illuminati
: Contemporary theorists often claim the Illuminati survived and now consists of a shadowy cabal of international bankers, politicians, and media moguls working toward a "New World Order" or global government . : The modern version was largely popularized by
: Founded by a professor of religious law, the group aimed to promote Enlightenment ideals , such as reason, philanthropy, and secularism, while countering the influence of religious and political authority . : Contemporary theorists often claim the Illuminati survived
: The group was short-lived. In the mid-1780s, the Bavarian government banned all secret societies, designating the Illuminati as an illegal branch of Freemasonry . By 1787, the organization was effectively dismantled under threat of severe punishment . Modern Conspiracy Theories