What Is Meant By New World Order?

It is difficult to determine exactly when a new period in history actually begins, but there are many who consider that a major alteration has been, or is, underway. This particular change in political theory and in the power balance around the globe has been given the name New World Order.

To some, this term has a negative connotation, due to a belief that there is a conspiracy by an elite and wealthy minority to control politics and economics with a defacto world government. According to this theory, this group operates behind the scenes to gain control and establishment a government that would pre-empt or replace individual nations.

With this activity taking place out of the public eye, the conspiracy theory of a New World Order sees companies and government agencies that act as fronts for the real financial and political power of the elite minority. In this system, groups such as the Bilderberg Group and the Council on Foreign Relations have significant strength. They are composed primarily of wealthy industrialists, executives of large financial institutions and a select group of political operatives. Other theorists emphasize that this conspiracy idea of New World Order is far from correct, with little solid evidence to back up the theory.

There are a number of ideas about the origin of the term, though some feel the concept began with the well-known businessman from England, Cecil Rhodes. This man for whom the Rhodes scholarship program is named actually proposed that the U.S. and the once-powerful British Empire should establish and head a world government. This imperialist system would be built by using the English language and capitalism. The idea behind Rhodes scholars was that the graduates of this program would be leaders of the world government in the future.

Other government leaders added to the momentum of this idea with such as the Round Table movement and others. H.G. Wells, a well-known author from England supported something similar, though his ideas tended more toward democracy with a strong social content.

The term “new world order” has been used by many politicians over the past 100 years. Most did not tend to emphasize the phrase with capital letters as used in the conspiracy-theory discussions. But they all talked about a major change in the world of politics and in the way power is used around the globe. Some have put a positive spin on the concept. They have insisted on more idealistic methods and attempts to take care of major problems such as hunger and poverty.

The first President Bush used the term nearly 20 years ago in a speech. He tried to introduce the ideas of balance and justice in discussing the world after the fall of the Soviet Union. Many different theories have been tied to the idea of a new world order, including the Illuminati (a secret society) and the Skull and Bones secret society associated with Yale University. Other theories in this vein include the Elders of Zion and the previously mentioned Round Table.

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