Secret Societies and Subversive Movements

by Nesta H. Webster

Let it be said once and for all, secret societies have not always been formed for evil purposes. On the contrary, many have arisen from the highest aspirations of the human mind, the desire for a knowledge of eternal verities. The evils arising from such systems has usually consisted in the perversion of principles that were once pure and holy. If I do not insist further on this point it is because a vast literature has already been devoted to the subject, so that it is only mentioned briefly here. -A & B Book Pub

Genres: History, Conspiracy Theories, Politics, Nonfiction, Religion, Occult, Society

432 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1924

About the author

Nesta Helen Webster, 1876-1960, was an outstanding English scholar who did pioneering work in Secret Society research. Her books are meticulously researched and documented, so her work is cited by many other researchers. Her special areas of expertise include the French Revolution, revolutionary movements throughout Europe in the 19th century, and the history of secret societies. She was raised in "High Church" Protestantism.

Reviews

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in the 1930s this book covers several known secret societies that made a mark in history. The Islamic assassins, the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Bavarian Illuminati among others are all explored. The big thing that this book does that other more recent books on secret socieites don't do is it explores the role of Jews, the Cabala and International Jewry in this age old conspiracy. This is something that is completely neglected in most recent conspiracy related books due to political correctness. While only a fool thinks that all Jews are somehow involved in this it takes an equally foolish person not to see that while the majority of them are not Jews, Jews are still disproportionately involved and the roots of most, if not all, of the ideologies and tools that move the globalist conspiracy forward spring forth from ideologies and ideas that have roots in the Jewish culture.

[Lawrence Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent study and investigation into the nature of secret societies, mainly the Freemasonry, its origin from the east initiation ceremony, encompassing its relationship to The Templars, the Jewish Cabalists, German Templarism and French Illuminism, etc. The writer might be politically motivated on some occasions but generally, she was writing with academic genuineness and honesty, while quoting a lot of source materials, notes and bibliographies. For example, in an unbiased manner, the author says:

"The fundamental error of most writers on this question, whether Masonic or anti-Masonic, is to represent all Freemasons as holding a common belief and animated by a common purpose. This on one hand the panegyrics by Freemasons on their Order as a whole, and on the other hand the sweeping condemnations of the Order by the Catholic Church, are equally at fault. The truth is that Freemasonry in a generic sense is simply a system of binding men together for any given purpose, since it is obvious that allegories and symbols, like the x and y of algebra, can be interpreted in a hundred different manners." (p.189)

But perhaps, this is exactly what fascination of Freemasonry is all about.

It is really the first book that I read about the secret societies in the west and how they developed from history - in-depth, enlightening, and at times stunning to know. For everyone who is slightly interested in the subject, this is likely the book meant to give you the most holistic picture. A must read.

[Ratu Avia Rahimah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an essay about conspiracy theory from the 19th century, this book is indeed impressive and pretty convincing. But, before you read it, you better know the author first so in the end you won't just get brainwashed and you're still able to look over the issues and statements written in this book objectively.

Nesta Webster was the daughter of Robert Bevan, a successful businessman. She married Captain Arthur Webster, the Superintendent of the English Police in India. Although her theory that the Jews had prepared and carried out the French Revolution had Winston Churchill convinced and supporting her, she became involved in several right-wing groups including the British Fascists, The Link, and the British Union of Fascists. She was also the leading writer of the anti-Semitic The Patriot. In the journal she supported the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany. Webster's books and articles played an important role in the development of racist views in Britain and the United States.

[Ali Khan · Rating 2 out of 5]

If anyone wants to know about the secret societies and its origin this is the book, it can be interesting at times, and can be extremely monotnous and descriptive. Although considering the material this book contains (kabbala, revolt against islam, occult, freemasonry, illuminati, knight templars, rossicrusian) it promise to be very interesting, but it was not. The 2 stars are because it contains some uself information, but the rest of the book was too detailed, and hard to remember.

[Christopher Mattick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mein Kampf as written by a British Housewife.

[Ed Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Product Of Its Time

The book is heavily anti-Semitic - particularly in the analysis. However, the histories and description of secret societies in Western Europe are interesting and appear largely accurate. There are segments that are real page turners, and others that are just cringeworthy. If the history of secret societies is your thing, this is a good source read with a lot of citations. Just recognize the anti-Semitic nature of the analysis and conclusions.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read better, read worse. This made an attempt, but I think the author could have done more. If you're into this topic, there are a million books to choose from and this wouldn't be in my top 4-5. But if you're REALLY into this stuff and have to read all you can on it, obviously recommended.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Too dry.