Shadow government (conspiracy)

The term shadow government besides its party political meaning can also refer to what is sometimes called "the secret government" or "the invisible government," an idea based on the notion that real and actual political power does not reside with publicly elected representatives (for example the United States Congress or the UK Cabinet) but with private individuals who are exercising power behind the scenes beyond the scrutiny of democratic institutions. According to this belief the official elected government is in reality subservient to the shadow government who are the true executive power.

Conspiracy-oriented literature postulates the existence of a secret government who are the true power behind the apparent government. Examples of such literature include works by Dan Smoot, William Guy Carr, Jim Marrs, Carroll Quigley, Gary Allen, Des Griffin, David Icke and John Coleman. Also popularizing the idea was the hit US television show, The X-Files.

In his novel Coningsby, Benjamin Disraeli stated that "The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes". One definition of a shadow government is a "secret government within the government". This secret government is the "real" government that controls the legitimate and visible government's agenda. The network of people constituting this secret government are bound by some common agenda known only to each other and/or the people they represent. The agenda may be that of a secret society who have infiltrated the government (examples include Freemasons, Skull and Bones men or Illuminatists). In this case the agenda of the network is known only to those members who are bound by an oath of secrecy.

The shadow government is also considered by popular authors to be behind black budget projects and covert operations.

One of the most popular conspiracy theories about a shadow government among ideologues of the antisemitic far-right is the notion of a "Zionist Occupation Government".

External links

• Barton Gellman and Susan Schmidt with contribution from Mary Lou White, "Shadow Government Is at Work in Secret: After Attacks, Bush Ordered 100 Officials to Bunkers Away From Capital to Ensure Federal Survival," Washington Post, March 1, 2002; Page A01.
• Spencer S. Hsu, "Bush Changes Continuity Plan: Administration, Not DHS, Would Run Shadow Government," Washington Post, May 10, 2007; Page A12.
• The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis A PBS Documentary Transcript
• The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis A PBS Documentary Video
• The Shadow Government: Identification and Analysis
• Banking Cartel cause of humanity's owes
• Youtube video Money, Banking and Federal Reserve