SECRET SOCIETIES
and
SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENTS


Nesta H. Webster - Secret Societies and Subversive Movements - book cover Nesta H. Webster - Secret Societies and Subversive Movements



BY THE SAME AUTHOR

The Chevalier de Boufflers
The French Revolution
World Revolution
The Socialist Network
The Surrender of an Empire
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: Before the Revolution
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: During the Revolution
Spacious Days

"There is in Italy a power which we seldom mention in this House ... I mean the secret societies.... It is useless to deny, because it is impossible to conceal, that a great part of Europe - the whole of Italy and France and a great portion of Germany, to say nothing of other countries - is covered with a network of these secret societies, just as the superficies of the earth is now being covered with railroads. And what are their objects? They do not attempt to conceal them. They do not want constitutional government; they do not want ameliorated institutions ... they want to change the tenure of land, to drive out the present owners of the soil and to put an end to ecclesiastical establishments. Some of them may go further...." (DISRAELI in the House of Commons, July 14, 1856.)

CONTENTS

Preface

PART I THE PAST

  1. THE ANCIENT SECRET TRADITION
    1. The Mysteries
    2. The Jewish Cabala
    3. The Coming of the Redeemer
    4. The Essenes
    5. The Gnostics
    6. Manichaeism
  2. THE REVOLT AGAINST ISLAM
    1. The Ismailis
    2. Choice of SUNNIS
    3. Choice of SHIAHS
    4. THE SUCCESSORS OF THE PROPHET
    5. The Karmathites
    6. The Fatimites
    7. The Druses
    8. The Assassins
  3. THE TEMPLARS
  4. THREE CENTURIES OF OCCULTISM
    1. Satanism
    2. The Rosicrucians
  5. THE ORIGINS OF FREEMASONRY
    1. Operative Masonry
    2. Speculative Masonry
    3. The Templar Tradition
    4. The Vehmgerichts
    5. Rosicrucian Origin
    6. The Seventeenth-Century Rabbis
  6. THE GRAND LODGE ERA
    1. The Additional Degrees
    2. Freemasonry in France
    3. Rite of Perfection
  7. GERMAN TEMPLARISM AND FRENCH ILLUMINISM
    1. French Illuminism
    2. The Magicians
  8. THE JEWISH CABALISTS
  9. THE BAVARIAN ILLUMINATI
    1. Origins of the Illuminati
    2. Illuminism and Freemasonry
    3. Idealism of the Illuminati
    4. Character of the Illuminati
  10. THE CLIMAX

PART II THE PRESENT

  1. MODERN FREEMASONRY
    1. Continental Masonry
    2. British Masonry
  2. SECRET SOCIETIES IN ENGLAND
    1. Theosophy
    2. Rosicrucianism
  3. OPEN SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENTS
  4. PAN-GERMANISM
  5. THE REAL JEWISH PERIL

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX:

  1. JEWISH EVIDENCE ON THE TALMUD
  2. THE "PROTOCOLS" OF THE ELDERS OF ZION

INDEX

FOOTNOTES