Welcome to The Real History of Secret Societies, a historical look at the true-life groups which, if you believe the myths, are the unspoken power behind some of the world's major turning points, from controllingthe British crown to holding back the electric car and keeping Martians and Atlantis under wraps.Prepare yourself. In this coursebrought to you in partnership with HISTORY®, you will be visiting some ofhistory's deepest rabbit-holes,across centuriesand continents,in search of secret societies in all their varieties. You will journey to some very dark places, and frankly some odd and sometimes silly ones as well. During24 eye-opening lectures, Dr. Richard B. “Rick” Spence, Professor of History at the University of Idaho,guides you through the fascinating, often mystifying—sometimes disturbing—world of brotherhoods,sisterhoods, orders, cults,and cabalsthathave influenced human culturefrom ancient times to the present.You'll understand how andwhy secretsocieties have attractedsome ofhistory's most brilliant, andsome of itsmost evil, minds.Often demonized by their enemies, manysecretsocieties have become the stuff of myths and conspiracy theories.Whydo they exist? And when they are invented or imagined, why would someone pretend theyexist? What do secret societies believe?Who do they recruit?Most important, what influence do they have?Buckle up and get ready to find out.
