SECRET SOCIETIES

A chronology of the influence of the occult tradition and secret societies on world history covering the Freemasons, Illuminati, Rosicrucians and Decoding of the Great Seal. For thousands of years secret societies, guardians of ancient esoteric wisdom, have exercised a strong and often crucial influence on the destiny of nations. Although largely ignored by orthodox historians, the Freemasons, Knights Templar, and Rosicrucians influenced the course of the French and American Revolutions as well as the overthrow of the medieval feudal order. Inevitably, the true ideals and esoteric practices of these societies have at times been perverted by self-serving individuals like the Nazis and the Bolsheviks, British security forces, the founding fathers of America and the Vatican who have all justified their actions by adopting the mystic ideals of secret societies. Michael Howard explores these connections, tracing their effects in politics and statecraft from the time of Ancient Egypt up to the present with well-known figures like Frederick the Great, John Dee, Francis Bacon, Helena Blavatsky, Rasputin and Woodrow Wilson. 262 page illustrated paperback.