KKK Ku Klux Klan music groups. What is the Ku Klux Klan

The secret society was founded by former Southern soldiers after the Civil War (1861-1865). Crimes by members of the Ku Klux Klan were usually preceded by a warning sent in a bizarre but well-known form. In some parts of the country it was an oak branch with leaves, in others it was melon seeds or orange seeds. Having received such a warning, the victim could either renounce his previous views or leave the country. If a person ignored the warning, death awaited him.

The first Ku Klux Klan was founded in the 1860s in the southern United States, but the movement ceased to exist in the early 1870s. At that time, they sought to overthrow the Republican government of the States in the South, especially using violence against blacks. At the same time, the famous white suits appeared, consisting of a mantle, a mask and a conical headdress, created specifically for intimidation.

The Second Ku Klux Klan was spread throughout the country in the early and mid-1920s. Members of the Ku Klux Klan used the same white suits and passwords, but a new symbol was introduced - a burning cross.

The third Ku Klux Klan arose after World War II as a reaction to the civil rights movement for minorities. The Second and Third Ku Klux Klans advocated for special rights for the descendants of the first U.S. citizens to win the Revolutionary War. All three organizations have extensive records of terrorist attacks, although historians [ which?] question how widely the leadership of the second Ku Klux Klan supported this practice. Contrary to popular belief, this organization was never political.

Origin of the name

Appearance of Ku Klux Klan members

The name is probably derived from ancient Greek. κύκλος - circle, wheel, and English. clan - tribal community, clan (among the Scots and Irish). There is also a version that the name is associated with the characteristic sound (clanging) of the rifle bolt when it is brought into combat mode. Another version suggests that the name comes from Lat. cucullo - hood.

Prerequisites for the emergence of an organization

Captain John S. Lester (1834-1901), Christian, denomination unknown;
Major James R. Crow (1838-1911), Presbyterian;
Adjutant Calvin E. Jones (1839-1872), son of Judge Thomas M. Jones, member of the Episcopal Church;
Captain John B. Kennedy (1841-1913), religious affiliation unknown;
Private Frank O. McCord (1839-1895), Methodist;
Richard R. Reed, Southern Army Veteran, military rank and years of life unknown, Presbyterian.

It was Reed who suggested the name "Knights of Kyklos"(“kyklos, or kyklos (κύκλος)” from Greek - circle, circle), but before that there was a society “Knights of the Golden Circle” (English Knights of the Golden Circle), then the Scotsman Kennedy proposed the word “clan”, which meant family, family, connections between loved ones.

Initial stage

Nathaniel Bedford Forrest

At first they only frightened people; the killings did not begin immediately. For example, they galloped through the streets of the city, wrapped in white sheets, which amazed and horrified the city residents, and entertained them.

Because of their superstitions, at first the Negroid population mistook the Klansmen for the souls of dead Confederates (that is, Southerners). The fear passed only in 1866, when wounded and killed among members of the Ku Klux Klan appeared.

The society was very popular among people who fought on the side of the South, also among racists and former members secret societies. They organized branches called “dens”. From 1865 to 1867 the latter numbered more than a hundred. And by 1868, all the southern terrorist organizations united around them.

The year 1867 is significant because in April representatives of several states gathered at a kind of illegal congress, where the KKK was reorganized. Firstly, the name was changed: Ku Klux Klan instead of Kuklux Klan, and secondly, the leader of the movement became Nathaniel Bedford Forrest, a former general in the army of the South. He was given the title of "Grand Master". At the same time, they developed a constitution called the “Order,” which stated the goals of the organization: to save the country from the invasion of blacks, the white race from humiliation, and to give blacks rights that are convenient only for whites. It included an oath to prevent equality between whites and blacks.

KKK structure

A rather complex organizational structure was developed. The society itself was called the “Invisible Empire of the South” (English: Invisible Empire of the South), the head is the “Great Sage” (English: Grand Wizard), under which there was a council of 10 “Geniuses”. Each state is a "Kingdom" ruled by a "Great Dragon" and a headquarters of 8 "Hydras". In each “kingdom” there are “domains”, at the head of the “domains” - “Great Tyrants” with assistants (“Furies”). “Domains” consist of “provinces”, the dominance of which is held by “Great Giants” and 4 “Brownies”. There were other positions: “Cyclopes”, “Great Magi”, “Grand Treasurers”, “Grand Guardians”, “Grand Turks”, etc. Each had their own duties. Ordinary members - "Vampires". There was also a “Great Standard Bearer”, who kept and protected the “Great Banner”, that is, the regalia. Despite this complex system, the clan was still poorly organized, although there was coordination between local “caves” and “domains,” the society still did not conduct global politics. There were no significant differences between “caves” and “domains”.

Distribution area

Number of people in the organization

According to “Grand Master” Forrest (1868), the Klan consisted of over 550 thousand people, according to other sources - 2 million. By the end of 1868, the number of its members reached 600 thousand people. Most of them were soldiers and officers of the southern army.

Disguise

Members of the organization came up with giving the cells many other names, so that when a Klansman was sworn in, he could say that he was not a member of the KKK, but of some kind of “White Brotherhood” or in the society “Knights of the White Camellia”, or “Guardians of the Constitution”, “Knights of the Black Cross” and others. Mystical behavior, mysterious processions are an obligatory attribute of the clan. Characteristics- secrecy and mystery are necessary for the conspiracy of ordinary members in order to frighten blacks. Often it was enough to make it clear to the “undesirable person” that he was unnecessary, and he immediately moved to another place.

The organization had a complex system of conspiracy. Members never met openly in one place. Publication of secrets was punishable by death. There was very complex system appearances and passwords. Each member of the organization had a whistle and knew certain signals. None of the members ever knew in advance either the location of the next meeting or the real names of other members of the organization.

Terrorism

Members of the organization against the background of the famous “burning cross” symbol

Admission of children into the Ku Klux Klan, 1948

Although researchers agree that the organization did not arise as a terrorist organization, but as a secret society with vague goals similar to the Masonic ones, it began to develop precisely with racist overtones. Every year, with the increase in power and the number of members of the organization, the number of victims and the degree of cruelty grew.

A complex information network for murder and arson was created. Groups ranging from 10 to 500 people, depending on the operation, acted extremely quickly and left no witnesses. The murders became brutal, victims were hanged, drowned, and mutilated.

Measures of the American authorities

In many states, including Tennessee, the home state of the society's founders, the governor took various measures to deal with arbitrariness and cruelty, but all to no avail. The police were unable to suppress the KKK.

As a result, the Klansmen achieved enormous power in almost all states of the South. The strict laws of the governors did not help, but the society did not exist for long until the federal government began to interfere with their activities.

In both Carolinas, where the Ku Klux Klan was especially strong, its cruelty crossed all boundaries, and the governor turned to the president with a request for a military solution to the issue. In other states, the intervention of the federal government was required, where there were ardent opponents of such organizations. The most famous and active of them was Benjamin Butler, who made every effort to achieve an official investigation. It took place in 1870, and the very next year on the table of the Chief Justice there was a detailed report on the work done, which said the following:

...Ku Klux Klan, or the Invisible Empire of the South, which includes large number people of the most diverse classes, having its own constitution and laws, commits violent acts directed against members of the Republican Party. Members of the Klan break into the homes of black people with the aim of robbing, raping and killing law-abiding citizens...

Notes

McVeigh, Rory. "Structural Incentives for Conservative Mobilization: Power Devaluation and the Rise of the Ku Klux Klan, 1915-1925." Social Forces, Vol. 77, No. 4 (Jun., 1999), p. 1463
Ku Klux Klan, -A. Lopatin V.V., Nechaeva I.V., Cheltsova L.K. Uppercase or lowercase? Spelling dictionary. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - P. 238. - 512 p.. In the literature there is a variant spelling “Ku Klux Klan”. A. Kryukovsky. Dictionary of Historical Terms, 1998
, McFarland, 1999.
Elaine Frantz Parsons, "Midnight Rangers: Costume and Performance in the Reconstruction-Era Ku Klux Klan." Journal of American History 92.3 (2005): 811-36, in History Cooperative.
Michael Newton, The Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida.
ONLINE ETYMOLOGY DICTIONARY - © November 2001 Douglas Harper (unavailable link since 05/26/2013 - story , copy)
Ku Klux Klan // Basket - Kukunor. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1953. - P. 632. - (Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 51 volumes] / Ch. ed. B. A. Vvedensky; 1949-1958, vol. 23).
"Authentic history, Ku Klux Klan, 1865-1877".
W. Wilson. A History of the American People, vol. 5. New York, 1931, p. 63.
"Report of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction", Part 2, p. 218; Part 3, p.38.
Ku Klux Klan. White movement in the USA. - M.: FERI-V, 2001. - ISBN 5-94138-003-8
- text of the law. (English)
Michael Donald
Hate on Display™

Literature

Kennedy, Stetson. I was in the Ku Klux Klan. - Foreign Literature Publishing House, 1955. - 317 p.
Axelrod, Alan. The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies & Fraternal Orders. - New York: Facts On File, 1997.
Barr, Andrew. Drink: A Social History of America. - New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999.
Chalmers, David M. Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan. - Durahm, N.C. :

, white nationalism. In the mid-20th century, the Ku Klux Klan also opposed communism. The emergence of the concept of Lynching is associated with this organization.

This secret society was founded by former Southern soldiers after the Civil War (1861–1865). Crimes by members of the Ku Klux Klan were usually preceded by a warning sent in a bizarre but well-known form. In some parts of the country it was a branch oak leaves, in others - melon seeds or orange seeds. Having received such a warning, the victim could either renounce his previous views or leave the country. If a person ignored the warning, death awaited him. The first Ku Klux Klan flourished in the 1860s in the US South, but the movement ceased to exist in the early 1870s. At the same time, the famous white suits appeared, consisting of a mantle, a mask and a conical headdress, created specifically for intimidation. The Second Ku Klux Klan was spread throughout the country in the early and mid-1920s. He used the same costumes and passwords, but introduced a new symbol - a burning cross. The Third Ku Klux Klan arose after World War II, as a reaction to the civil rights movement for minorities. The Second and Third Ku Klux Klans advocated giving special rights to the descendants of the first U.S. citizens to win the Revolutionary War. All three organizations have extensive records of terrorist acts, although historians have questioned the extent to which the Second Ku Klux Klan leadership supported the practice.

Encyclopedic YouTube

1 / 2

✪ 5 of the most BLOODTHIRST organizations in the world!

✪ History of the Ku Klux Klan (narrated by historian Sergei Karamaev)

Subtitles

Origin of the name

The name is probably derived from ancient Greek. κύκλος - circle, wheel, and English. clan - tribal community, clan (among the Scots and Irish). There is also a version that the name is associated with the characteristic sound (clanging) of the rifle bolt. Another version suggests that the name comes from Lat. cucullo - hood.

Prerequisites for the emergence of an organization

Captain John S. Lester (1834-1901), Christian, denomination unknown;
Major James R. Crow (1838-1911), Presbyterian;
Adjutant Calvin E. Jones (1839-1872), son of Judge Thomas M. Jones, member of the Episcopal Church;
Captain John B. Kennedy (1841-1913), religious affiliation unknown;
Private Frank O. McCord (1839-1895), Methodist;
Richard R. Reed, Veteran of the Southern Army, rank and years unknown, Presbyterian.

Initial stage

The society was very popular among people who fought on the side of the South, as well as among racists and former members of secret societies. They organized branches called “dens”. From 1865 to 1867 the latter numbered more than a hundred. And by 1868, all the southern terrorist organizations united around them.

KKK structure

Despite this complex system, the clan was still poorly organized, although there was coordination between local “caves” and “domains,” the society still did not conduct global politics. There were no significant differences between “caves” and “domains”.

Distribution area

Number of people in the organization

Disguise

Members of the organization came up with the idea of giving the cells many other names, so that when a Klansman was sworn in, he could say that he was not a member of the KKK, but of some kind of “White Brotherhood” or in the society “Knights of the White Camellia” or “Guardians of the Constitution,” “ Knights of the Black Cross”, etc. Mystical behavior, mysterious processions are an obligatory attribute of the clan. Characteristic features - secrecy and mystery, are necessary for the conspiracy of ordinary members in order to frighten blacks. Often it was enough to make it clear to the “undesirable person” that he was unnecessary, and he immediately moved to another place.

The organization had a complex system of conspiracy. Members never met openly in one place. Publication of secrets was punishable by death. There was a very complex system of appearances and passwords. Each member of the organization had a whistle and knew certain signals. None of the members ever knew in advance either the location of the next meeting or the real names of other members of the organization.

Terrorism

Measures of the American authorities

...The Ku Klux Klan, or the Invisible Empire of the South, which includes a large number of people of various classes, having its own constitution and laws, commits violent acts directed against members of the Republican Party. Members of the Klan break into the homes of black people with the aim of robbing, raping and killing law-abiding citizens...

Notes

McVeigh, Rory. "Structural Incentives for Conservative Mobilization: Power Devaluation and the Rise of the Ku Klux Klan, 1915-1925." Social Forces, Vol. 77, No. 4 (Jun., 1999), p. 1463
Ku Klux Klan, -A. Lopatin V. V., Nechaeva I. V., Cheltsova L. K. Uppercase or lowercase? Spelling dictionary. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - P. 238. - 512 p.. In the literature there is a variant spelling “Ku Klux Klan”. A. Kryukovsky. Dictionary of Historical Terms, 1998.
, McFarland, 1999.
Elaine Frantz Parsons, "Midnight Rangers: Costume and Performance in the Reconstruction-Era Ku Klux Klan." Journal of American History 92.3 (2005): 811-36, in History Cooperative.
Michael Newton, The Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida.
ONLINE ETYMOLOGY DICTIONARY - © November 2001 Douglas Harper (unavailable link since 05/26/2013 - story , copy)
"Authentic history, Ku Klux Klan, 1865-1877."
W. Wilson. A History of the American People, vol. 5. New York, 1931, p. 63.
"Report of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction", Part 2, p. 218; Part 3, p.38.
Ku Klux Klan. White movement in the USA. - M.: FERI-V, 2001. - ISBN 5-94138-003-8
, 1955. - 317 p.
Axelrod, Alan. The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies & Fraternal Orders. - New York: Facts On File, 1997.
Barr, Andrew. Drink: A Social History of America. - New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999.
Chalmers, David M. Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan. - Durahm, N.C. : Duke University Press, 1987. - P. 512. - ISBN 9780822307303.
Chalmers, David M. (2003) Backfire: How the Ku Klux Klan Helped the Civil Rights Movement. ISBN 0-7425-2310-1
Dray, Philip. At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America. - New York: Random House, 2002.
Egerton, John. Speak Now Against the Day: The Generation Before the Civil Rights Movement in the South. - Alfred and Knopf Inc., 1994.
Feldman, Glenn. Politics, Society, and the Klan in Alabama, 1915-1949. - Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1999.
Foner, Eric. Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. - Perennial (HarperCollins), 1989.
Franklin, John Hope. Race and History: Selected Essays 1938-1988. - Louisiana State University Press, 1992.
Horn, Stanley F. Invisible Empire: The Story of the Ku Klux Klan, 1866-1871. - Montclair, New Jersey: Patterson Smith Publishing Corporation, 1939.
Ingalls, Robert P. Hoods: The Story of the Ku Klux Klan. - New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1979.
Jackson, Kenneth T. The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930. - Oxford University Press, 1967; 1992 edition.
Kennedy, Stetson. The Klan Unmasked. - University Press of Florida, 1990.
McVeigh, Rory. The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan: Right-Wing Movements and National Politics,(2009), on 1920s
Lender, Mark E. Drinking in America. - New York: Free Press, 1982.
Levitt, Stephen D. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. - New York: William Morrow, 2005.
McWhorter, Diane. Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution. - New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Moore, Leonard J. Citizen Klansmen: The Ku Klux Klan in Indiana, 1921-1928. - Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991.
Newton, Michael. The Ku Klux Klan: An Encyclopedia. - New York & London: Garland Publishing, 1991.
Parsons, Elaine Frantz (2005). “Midnight Rangers: Costume and Performance in the Reconstruction-Era Ku Klux Klan.” The Journal of American History. 92 (3): 811-836. DOI:10.2307/3659969.
Prendergast, Michael L. A History of Alcohol Problem Prevention Efforts in the United States // Control Issues in Alcohol Abuse Prevention: Strategies for States and Communities. - JAI Press, 1987.
Rhodes, James Ford. History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850 to the McKinley-Bryan Campaign of 1896. - 1920. - Vol. 7. Winner of the 1918 Pulitzer Prize for history.
Rogers, William. Alabama: The History of a Deep South State. - Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1994.
Steinberg, Alfred. The man from Missouri; the life and times of Harry S. Truman. - New York: Putnam, 1962.
Taylor, Joe G. Louisiana Reconstructed, 1863-1877. - Baton Rouge, 1974.
Thompson, Jerry. My Life in the Klan. - New York: Putnam, 1982. - ISBN 0399126953.
Trelease, Allen W. White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction. - Louisiana State University Press, 1995.
Wade, Wyn Craig. The Fiery Cross: The Ku Klux Klan in America. - New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987.

Illuminati in different times called orders, brotherhoods, organizations and sects that professed occultism and mystical philosophy, as well as those who were in opposition to the ruling power and religion. The most famous such example is the Bavarian Illuminati Society, founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, a professor of jurisprudence at the University of Ingoldstadt. Weishaupt was a follower of deism - a doctrine that recognizes God and his creation of the world, but denies religious dogmatism and divine revelation. Deists believed that higher powers do not interfere with the course of events, and their intentions can be understood only by enlightening the mind. This categorically denied the teachings of the church, which provoked the creation of the Order of the “Enlightened”.

The society was closed - people could get into it not by recommendations (as in the Masonic lodge), but exclusively through recruitment (although it was not prohibited to belong to both the Illuminati and the Masons at the same time). In 1784, the Order was already banned in Bavaria, and three years later, attracting new followers was declared a crime for which the head would be cut off.

For almost 100 years, the Illuminati went underground, as Kevin Hately talks about in his research.

The official revival of the Order took place in 1896 in Dresden. Throughout his existence, he was credited with various achievements - from inciting the French Revolution to the creation of the United States and October Revolution in Russia. Due to the fact that the Illuminati symbol - the All-Seeing Eye above the unfinished pyramid - is depicted on the US state seal and the one-dollar bill, the development of various “conspiracy theories” about the Order’s shadowy participation in world politics and economics does not stop.

Who is not considered an Illuminati today - from Justin Bieber, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga to Queen Elizabeth II. Conspiracy experts say that the brotherhood is not yet ready to come out of the shadows. Accordingly, their actual existence is a rather controversial issue.

Opus Dei

Opus Dei (Latin for “God’s Work”) was founded in 1928 by the Spanish Catholic priest Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer. As the researchers describe this moment: “During the spiritual exercises, he saw with complete clarity the mission that God had ordained for him: to open in this world the path of sanctification of professional work and everyday activities.” The purpose of the organization is to help believers find holiness in their daily lives by bringing divine awareness into their work activities.

Over the relatively short history of its existence, Opus Dei has had many both fans and opponents, although it became widely known due to its mention in the book “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. Despite the fact that many of the facts in it (and later in the film) turned out to be fictitious, which the writer did not deny, society had a somewhat negative impression of the organization and they began to accuse it of sectarianism. What is Opus Dei doing today?

Firstly, its followers strive to instill in believers that religion is not only the mass, rituals and prayers, but also every moment of their lives.

Thus, on the official website of the organization opusdei.us it is said that its spiritual practice is based on Escrivá’s book “The Path” - a collection of 999 prayers, meditations and reflections. It involves daily prayer, Bible reading, participation in Mass, and weekly “fraternal conversations” with spiritual mentors. With the latter, by the way, they discuss their successes, failures and plans for their subsequent spiritual life, which stands on three pillars - self-denial, attracting new members and abstinence.

In order to become a member of the organization, a person will need 6 years - that is how long the “test period” of the seriousness of his intentions lasts. In addition, you need to be prepared for censorship (many books that are even studied in Catholic schools educational institutions, are unofficially prohibited in Opus Dei) and celibacy (for those who wish to devote their lives entirely to the apostleship). For those who want to understand in detail the questions of whether the organization is elitist, what its financial situation and whether its followers practice “mortification,” a FAQ page has been created in warning. From this it emerges that the Opus Dei society is not exactly secret, but very closed.

Tripartite Commission

The Trilateral Commission was founded in 1973 by American banker David Rockefeller and Harvard University professor Zbigniew Brzezinski. Initially, there were three parties involved in the organization - North America, Western Europe and Japan, and the purpose of their meetings is to promote cooperation and solutions common problems in these regions. Conspiracy theorists suspect the commission of attempting to establish a monopoly and global political power in their interests. Therefore, their activities are also associated with the so-called “new world order”.

Despite the ostentatious openness of the organization, for a long time It was very difficult to find out anything about her activities.

Despite the ostentatious openness of the organization (it also has an official website - trilateral.org ), for a long time it was very problematic to find out anything about its activities. According to conspiracy researcher Jordan Maxwell's book, Matrix of Power: How the World Has Been Controlled by Powerful People Without Your Knowledge", in 1991, David Rockefeller allegedly gave a speech at a meeting in Germany in which he mentioned: "We are grateful to The Washington Post, The New The York Times, Time Magazine and other major publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promise of confidentiality for nearly forty years.” Today, on the website you can read the annual reports of the commission and even read books by its participants. The latter, for example, is dedicated to Russia (Engaging Russia: A Return to Containment) and the policy that the Trilateral Commission should pursue in relation to Moscow.

IN recent years The geography of the organization expanded: thus, the Japanese group became the Pacific Asian group, adding members from India and China, Mexico became part of the North American group, and the Western European group cooperates with the European Union.

Skull and crossbones

The Order of Skull and Bones was founded in 1832 by Yale University graduate William Russell, following the example of the German organization the Eurology Club that inspired him. Some even consider Skull and Bones to be its American subsidiary. The purpose of the Order is to prepare outstanding university students for leadership in all spheres of society. Its most famous members today are the two George Bushes (senior and junior), as well as John Kerry. It is noteworthy that people from the Order are always in the government apparatus, Supreme Court, and many of them later become outstanding athletes or leaders of public organizations.

The fraternity accepts only 15 people each year. Previously, only white men of traditional orientation, aristocratic origin and professing Protestantism could become them.

In recentsame years “Skull and Bones” opened its doors to people different races, religions, gender and orientation.

Entry into the ranks of the fraternity is shrouded in mystery: according to some sources, applicants were stripped, beaten, placed in a coffin and forced to tell stories about their sex lives; according to others, the "tomb" was a fraternity room where new recruits were playfully kicked and forced to drink wine from a plastic skull.

Whatever the origin, the Washington Post review mentions that the Order member is "the arithmetic mean" between Forrest Gump and Woody Allen's character Zelig: he manages to "show up" at all the important historical moments. For example, members of the brotherhood were at the origins of the development atomic bomb and were able to influence it to be tested in Japan. They also helped shape US policy during the " cold war" Today, representatives of Skull and Bones are on the Council international relations, as well as in the Trilateral Commission.

Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan is a notorious far-right American organization that advocated the ideas of white supremacy and white Nazism. The Klan was founded by Southern soldiers after the Civil War in 1861, but did not last long. He experienced a second wave of popularity after 1915 - then white suits and caps appeared, created to intimidate the black population. After World War II, the Klan became more active in the fight against the civil rights of minorities. The organization is known by many terrorist acts motivated by racism, which also affected white Republicans who supported equal rights.

Today, the clan still exists - its headquarters is located in the town of Harrison, in Northern Arkansas. Its current leader, 66-year-old pastor Tom Robb, calls himself the clan's national director. The pastor says the movement has a new slogan: "Heritage, not hate." The preacher and his daughters, who are conducting active educational work, are sure that genocide is being planned against the white population. Despite the “rebranding” of the clan, its ideology remains unchanged, and the director strives for the organization to be treated as a political party.

According to experts, today the clan consists of about 5 thousand people. Those who live nearby come to weekly sermon meetings. For others, Pastor, together with his daughter Pendergraft, created the online show White Pride TV (in which, by the way, grandson Pastor Andrew). Usually speeches begin with the phrase “This is the Klan, and this is the truth,” and end with “Be white and be proud.”

Bilderberg Club

The Bilderberg Club was founded in 1954, and got its name from the Bilderberg Hotel in the Dutch city of Oosterbeek, where the first meeting of the club took place. Since then, the conference has been held annually, bringing together about 100 people from the powerful elite - government, media, banking and business. The club consists approximately equally of Americans, Europeans and Asians, and entry to its meetings is possible only by personal invitation.

The dates for convening meetings are never advertised, and the organization of the meeting and the safety of its participants is ensured by the country in whose territory they are meeting (the last one, for example, took place in Austria). It is surprising that there is no press at the meetings: reports on the issues raised and their solutions are not published anywhere, and making statements to the media is strictly prohibited. And the meeting itself becomes known only after its completion, although people flock to the host country large number the most influential people in the world, accompanied by their “retinue” - secretaries, bodyguards, servants.

David Rockefeller is considered the founder of the club, but sources mention this in passing, focusing on the fact that he is also the person who established the Trilateral Commission.

Among the participants who attended the meetings of the organization are Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, King of Spain Juan Carlos I, Robert McNamara, Zbigniew Brzezinski.

The BBC calls the Bilderberg Club a "shadow government." Here is also one of the rare interviews that club members sometimes give - with the former European Commissioner, Viscount Etienne Davignon: “I don’t believe that we are the world’s ruling class, because I don’t believe that such a class exists at all. It seems to me that it’s just that some people who have influence are interested in communicating with others like them.” And yet an interesting pattern emerges: at club meetings there often appear people who are very short time become global political leaders. This happened with Bill Clinton, who joined the organization in 1991, as governor of Arkansas, and also with Tony Blair, who visited it two years later, while still in the opposition. In addition, almost all "recent" presidents and members of the European Commission were invited here for meetings before their appointment.

The history of the United States of America, a fairly young state, contains a large number of dramatic and secret pages. One of the most critical moments in the history of the country was civil war, which flared up between the free North and the slave owners of the South. It began in 1860, when relations between the two sides became tense. In the North, many influential parties emerged that supported radical democratic reforms, one of which was the abolition of slavery. The movement was led by A. Lincoln, who was elected president. But the conservative forces of the South did not support him and declared war on the Democrats. The bloody confrontation lasted 4 years and, having claimed more than half a million lives, ended with a formal surrender and the signing of peace in 1865. Thus, slavery was abolished and the black population received freedom and constitutional rights. However, the racial confrontation did not end there. In the South there were a significant number secret organizations who were involved in organizing and carrying out terrorist actions against military personnel who defended the rights of the black population. Among these organizations, in particular, were the Blue Lodges, the Social Union, and the Sons of the South. However greatest distribution received the “Knights of the Golden Circle,” whose number reached 115 thousand people. But during the war, most of these organizations disappeared for certain reasons.

After the end of the war, the process of Southern Reconstruction began. Of course, there were a lot of different people there social status who were unhappy with the freeing of slaves. This, in essence, was the reason for the emergence of a new anti-Negro organization.

It was an organization with the incomprehensible and magical name of the Ku Klux Klan, which was formed on December 24, 1865.

In the small town of Pulaski, located in Tennessee, six former officers: Calvin Jones, James R. Crowe, John D. Kennedy, John S. Lester, Richard Reed and Frank O. McCord. They decided to create a secret society that was supposed to defend “lost justice,” that is, the patriarchal order that existed in the South. It was also important to come up with a special name for the organization, which would emphasize the connection between society and the traditions of secret societies of the past. This is how the “Kuklos Clan” turned out (the first word translated from Greek means “circle” - a favorite symbol of the conspirators, and the second - English word clan, that is, clan community).

However, the conspirators did not stop there and, wanting to give the name even more mystery, slightly modified the spelling of the words. This is how the Ku Klux Klan came about.

After the formalities were over, the officers decided to celebrate the creation of the society by holding horse races at night. And to make it unusual and memorable for a long time, both officers and horses were dressed up as ghosts. This is how the official clothes of the organization appeared - white sheets and white bags with slits for eyes on their heads.

Despite the fact that the members of the organization behaved quite peacefully and did nothing wrong, everyone who encountered this strange procession was terribly frightened. It was the blacks who felt the most fear. The fact is that they were extremely superstitious, so they believed that they saw the souls of murdered southerners in front of them. This reaction of the blacks greatly pleased the officers. Therefore, they organized similar processions every night for several weeks, fully aware that such an innocent joke could be used for more serious purposes.

The night races brought some results, and very soon in those places where they were held, the crime rate was significantly reduced. Therefore, at that time there was no need to use weapons. Members of the organization were confident that it would be enough for black criminals to see him. However, their confidence was soon noticeably shaken when one night a group of blacks opened fire on them. The Ku Klux Klan members decided that next time they would also go on a night walk with weapons. This led to the fact that the small provincial town turned into a real battlefield at night, and the blacks were no longer just scared, but killed. At the same time, white clothes helped whites remain unrecognized. At the beginning of 1866, 22 blacks who were in prison in the town of Kingstree were burned alive. In this case, one of the “ghosts” was injured. There was no longer a myth about the extraterrestrial existence of horsemen. And members of the society began to dress in red and black.

By the spring of 1866, rumors of the existence of the Klan had spread throughout almost all southern states. Its popularity among the population has increased. Many representatives of both aristocrats and the poor united in groups, put on white robes and went to “restore order.” And soon most of these small groups united around the Ku Klux Klan. Then the problem of managing the organization arose. One of the first people the members of the society wanted to see as a leader was General Robert E. Lee, but he refused, citing poor health and a promise not to oppose the northerners. Then the clansmen made the same proposal to General Nathan Forrest, who with great pleasure agreed to become the head of the organization.

He received the title of "Grand Magician" and was officially appointed to the position in April 1867. At the same time, the first congress of the organization took place, at which the charter and constitution of the clan were adopted. The order itself was called " Invisible Empire”, and its participants - “knights”.

The charter stated that the main task of the Klan was to provide support to the white population. The main enemy of the organization was recognized as the loyal leagues, which provided assistance to the black population who had recently received freedom and defended their rights. In addition, blacks who served in the police, corrupt officials, as well as the so-called “carpetbaggers”, residents of the South who supported the Republican Party, were named among the enemies.

During the congress, the structure of the organization was determined. It was headed by the “Great Magician” and a council of ten “geniuses”. The country was divided into "kingdoms", each of which was headed by "great dragons" and eight "hydras". Each "kingdom" was divided into "domains", which were led by "great titans" and "furies". "Domains" were divided into "lairs" with the "great cyclops" and "nighthawks". Each “lair” contained “caves” with “ghouls”. At the same time, a uniform was adopted - white, red, black or striped robes and caps with slits for the eyes. Sometimes the caps could be decorated with horns.

Thus, the organizations that existed up to this point were united into a powerful structure with clearly defined political goals and strict discipline.

Due to the fact that Forrest was widely known among the population, the size of the organization increased very quickly. Members of the clan increasingly beat and maimed those people who, in their opinion, had violated the laws they had established. However, at first they tried not to resort to murder.

Members of the organization operated in small mobile groups, which included from several dozen to several hundred people. In most cases they were limited to a warning, but sometimes they also arranged fast courts- lynching that ended in hanging. Despite the fact that innocent people were sometimes victims of the Klansmen, and the fact that very often their actions were illegal, they tried to distance themselves and their organization from ordinary bandits who acted only to enrich themselves. The clan's goal was more noble and, according to its members, could bring a lot of benefit to society. Therefore, a real hunt was launched for the bandits. However, the official government was not interested in this. For them, all violations of law and order were associated with the Klan, so the organization was defined as outlaw. Armed clashes began between government forces and members of society.

By 1869 the situation had become even more complicated. Neither the government nor the clan leadership could control it anymore. In such a situation, Forrest even gave the order to arrest and even execute those members of his organization who violated the rules established by the order’s charter. But this order was ignored, so Forrest decided to leave the organization. The scale of the terror perpetrated by members of the clan was amazing, because, according to the statements of Representative Wilson, from the moment of its creation until the early 1870s, about 130 thousand people were killed... And only in 1871, when the government began to resort to mass arrests clan members, the situation was slightly stabilized.

At the same time, the oppression of the black population continued, but using officially approved methods. Racists began to actively engage in politics and took the majority of seats in the legislature. As a result, a large number of documents appeared that, without contradicting the American Constitution, limited the political rights of blacks. The organization itself, called the Ku Klux Klan, ceased to exist in the late 1870s.

But in 1915 it was brought back to life. This was done by the preacher Williams Simmons, who was inspired by the picture about the era of Forrest and the white noble men who defended the traditions of the South - “The Birth of a Nation.”

In the early 1920s, the organization's membership reached four million people. But their activities were directed not only against blacks, but also against immigrants, communists, Jews and even some Catholics. At its core, the newly formed organization was an American version of fascism.

In addition, an important component of the clan’s activities was the struggle for sobriety. The Ku Klux Klan supported government measures aimed at combating alcohol. They even independently found bootleggers (in other words, moonshiners) and destroyed underground drinking bars, poured out alcohol, and doused especially malicious violators with tar and dumped them in feathers.

The clan's activities faced great obstacles when the financial crisis of 1929-1933 began. But the order was officially dissolved in 1944. Attempts were made to revive the clan in 1946, but three years later the movement split again. The secret of such a development of events turned out to be extremely simple: the whole point was domestic policy America. When the “red danger” was moved away from the country, the need for an organization of this kind disappeared for a while. Moreover, the clan members were carried away by the fight against traitors, and were already speaking out against representatives of the white administration, and this was not at all part of the government’s plans.

However, attempts were made to revive the clan in the 1960s, when the most radical members of the organization fought against sexual minorities, and at the same time destroyed other civil rights fighters. But then the clan members again went too far with their activity, and they were banned again.

A new surge in the organization’s activity occurred in the 1970s, when some small racist groups, using terror, tried to fight against the black population who were defending their rights. But then the FBI rose to the occasion and short period time arrested the most active clan members.

Currently, the Ku Klux Klan remains an active member of “civil society.” Participants in the movement claim that they no longer resort to violence, but are only concerned with protecting Christianity and their cities from criminals and immigrants. Most of the Klansmen are civilian militia. There are approximately 250 thousand of them. Approximately 100-150 thousand are members of illegal and semi-legal organizations. From time to time these organizations are closed, and the leaders “ white movement» end up behind bars for long periods.

Today, about 5 thousand people officially belong to various clan groups. However, the real number of those who support the movement and actively participate in the life of the clan reaches more than one million people. The official number only says that various anti-fascist and other non-white organizations and movements are making lawsuits Klansmen It's about about millions of dollars. In order to reduce these payments, the official society intends to underestimate its number, in order to thus completely legally reduce court payments to a minimum (motivating this by the small number and poverty of the organization).

One such lawsuit was the Jordan Gruver case. In 2006, four members of the Imperial Ku Klux Klan movement in the small town of Brandenburg, located in Kentucky, allegedly carried out missionary activity(but for some reason at night). Along the way they met a sixteen-year-old Indian teenager. Without really thinking about the correctness of their actions, the “missionaries” beat him, then doused him with alcohol and tried to burn him alive. But the boy was lucky; a police car drove by. As a result, Jordan's life was saved, and the Klansmen went to jail for three years. In their defense, during the trials they said that the boy himself tried to attack them. And this is on healthy men, two of whom were two meters tall and weighed more than a hundred kilograms, while the boy’s height did not even reach 160 centimeters, and his weight was 45 kilograms.

In addition to imprisonment, a fine was imposed on the organization itself - the “Imperial Ku Klux Klan” had to pay $1.5 million to Gruver himself, and in addition, another $1 million to the state treasury.

In 2010, the leader of the “imperial clan,” Pastor Ron Edwards, and his wife were arrested. He was charged with possession and distribution of methamphetamine. The Klan members claimed that the drugs were planted on them by FBI agents. But then the pastor managed to get away with just house arrest.

Another such case, but with a much more tragic ending, occurred in 2011, when one of the most active members of the clan, Lawrence Brewer, was executed in Huntsville prison. In 1998, he and two of his accomplices brutally killed a black man, James Byrd. He was lured into a car, in which he was taken to a deserted place and tortured. They then handcuffed him to the car and dragged his body until the man died.

Many people wonder: how is it possible that similar organization, accepted by many solely as a relic of an era, is being revived again and again? And everything is very simple - from time to time it is required by the official authorities. And under the name “Ku Klux Klan” there is not one, but several secret organizations hiding at once. The largest of them is the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which operate in Arkansas. The organization is led by Pastor Tom Robb. Klansmen have strong legal support provided to them by the American Civil Liberties Union. But at the same time, the organization has not yet been able to achieve its former scale. However, the clan members are not discouraged, claiming that numbers are not the most important thing for them. It may well be that the Ku Klux Klan is waiting long life, because the organization needs many...

Materials used:
http://www.calend.ru/event/4657/
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/telegraph/history/1083/
http://www.velesova-sloboda.org/right/ku-klux-klan.html
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%83-...%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD

The Ku Klux Klan was once the strongest far-right organization in the United States, and its ranks numbered up to 6 million people. The heyday of the organization occurred in the first half of the 20s of the last century. But those days are long gone, and now the Ku Klux Klan represents only a small handful of fanatics who still believe in their superiority over the black population of the country. This post will tell you about how the modern Ku Klux Klan lives.

In the 20s of the 20th century, the Ku Klux Klan had more than 6 million followers; now this number has fallen, according to various estimates, to 3-6 thousand throughout America. There are still many women in the organization. Two of them are in a photo taken on July 4, 2015, at a Klan meeting in Carter County, Tennessee.

Same place and day, a man and woman pose in the original clan attire before the cross burning ceremony.

An integral attribute of the clan is the flag of the Confederacy or the Confederate States of America, which were defeated in the war with the “northerners” in the middle of the 19th century. The economy of the South was based on slavery, hence the “legs” of the Ku Klux Klan. However, slavery is a thing of the past. And the Ku Klux Klan, it seems, too.

Over the second half of the 20th century, the Ku Klux Klan managed to merge in the United States with other far-right organizations, whose members are also becoming fewer and fewer.

The Ku Klux Klan also took in radical bikers.

But this unification is forced - radicalism is not particularly in fashion in the United States, and funny and strange paraphernalia repels “serious guys.”

Their rallies and protests are increasingly looking like amateur gatherings hard drugs than something serious. Klansmen before the cross burning ceremony.

A KKK member raises his hand in a Nazi salute.

For some reason, the swastika is also on fire in this photo.

IN lately The ranks of radical groups in the United States are rapidly thinning, therefore, they are increasingly forced to unite among themselves, turning a blind eye to the disagreements of past years. The dynamics of the decline show that soon, organizations like the KKK will either disappear completely, or will be completely marginalized and will no longer exist. powerful force will turn into a bunch of strange freaks.