EP 71: How Conspiracy Theories and Secret Society Fears Have Shaped American History

From the Salem Witch Trials to Qanon, it turns out that conspiracy theories are “as American as apple pie.” We dive into why we believe them, and how they have impacted American history and democracy in a conversation with author and cultural historian Colin Dickey. 

His latest book, “Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shape American Democracy,” provides some fascinating historical perspective into how fears of immigrants, other religions, and secret societies have impacted the country’s history over the last few centuries. 

Mark Twain once said that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes,” and we learn that from this unique look at the American story. 

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Mosheh Oinounou (@mosheh) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.

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