Judeo-Masonic conspiracy theory
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The Judeo-Masonic conspiracy is a conspiracy theory involving an alleged secret coalition of Jews and Masons. These theories were popular on the reactionary right, particularly in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Russia, and Eastern Europe, with similar allegations still being published.
Elders of Zion
The Judeo-Masonic conspiracy theory merges two older strains of conspiracy claims: Anti-Masonic conspiracy claims and Anti-Semitic conspiracy claims. It was heavily influenced by publication of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a forged document that appeared in the Russian Empire purporting to be an expose of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy. The Protocols claim that the Jews had infiltrated Freemasonry and were using the fraternity to further their aims. Adherents of the Judeo-Masonic conspiracy took the claim made by the Protocols to extremes and claimed that the leaders of Freemasonry and the leaders of the Jewish plot were one and the same.
An example was the Spanish priest Juan Tusquets Terrats, whose Orígenes de la revolución española and other works built on the Protocols, which he translated, to claim that Jews used freemasons and socialists to undermine Christian and Spanish civilisation, providing a justification for the Franco regime, which expanded the threat to an International Judeo-Masonic-Communist conspiracy.
"Conceptual influence"
According to Danny Keren (a member of the Department of Computer Science at Haifa University), the "conceptual inspiration" of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion was the 1797 treatise, Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism by the French priest Augustin Barruel, which claimed the Revolution was a Masonic-led conspiracy with the aim of overthrowing the moral teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. According to Keren, "in his treatise, Barruel did not himself blame the Jews, who were emancipated as a result of the Revolution. However, in 1806, Barruel circulated a forged letter, probably sent to him by members of the state police opposed to Napoleon Bonaparte's liberal policy toward the Jews, calling attention to the alleged part of the Jews in the conspiracy he had earlier attributed to the Masons. This myth of an international Jewish conspiracy reappeared later on in 19th century Europe in places such as Germany and Poland."
According to the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon website: "While it is both simplistic and specious to lay the responsibility for the French Revolution at the door of Freemasonry, there is no question that freemasons, as individuals, were active in building, and rebuilding, a new society. Considering the large number of bodies claiming masonic authority, many men identified today as freemasons were probably unaware of each other’s masonic association and clearly cannot be seen as acting in concert. Yet they did share certain beliefs and ideals."
French Masonry of the time was exclusive, denying initiation to Jews, along with many other classes of people.
See also
- Andinia Plan
- Anti-Masonry
- Antisemitic canard
- Antisemitism
- Masonic conspiracy theories
- New World Order (conspiracy theory)
- Synarchism
