THE BIRTH OF THE MYTHS After its dissolution, the illuminati did not disappear from public imagination. Instead, it became a boogeyman for conspiracy theorists. A. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION(1789) & ANTI-ILLUMINATI PANIC. Conservative writes (like Augustin Barruel and John Robison) claimed the illuminati orchestrated the French revolution to overthrow monarchies and Christianity. No evidence supported this, but the idea spread among European elites fearing rebellion. MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC IS HERE . B. THE NEW WORLD ORDER &19TH-CENTURY FEARS. In the 1800s, anti-Masonic movements in the U.S. (eg., the Morgan affair) revived fears of secret societies. Some claimed the illuminati survived underground and infiltrated Freemasonry. C. THE 20TH CENTURY: FROM COMMUNISM TO THE NEW AGE. Communist scares: Some theorists linked the illuminati to Marxism, the Russian revolution, and later UN. Satanic Panic(1980s-90s): The illuminati was tied to occultism, mind control ,a...