Bavaria banned the Illuminati by government edict in 1785 because authorities regarded it as a threat. A secret organization may place members in government, but control lasts only while its leaders and officeholders continue to agree. Different people at the top of each body will compete over who gives orders. Governments possess coercive and bureaucratic power that private groups usually lack, allowing them to suppress a rival, absorb it, or bury it in administration. Any claim of durable secret rule has to explain how the organization overcomes those institutional pressures.
Notable Point · 40:22-42:42
Secret societies and government power
The Bavarian ban on the Illuminati and rivalry inside governments challenge claims of permanent secret control.