Carroll Quigley

William Carroll Quigley (November 9, 1910 – January 3, 1977) was an American historian and theorist, best known for his work in geopolitics and his influence on the study of global historical processes. Quigley is most renowned for his seminal work "Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time", which presents a sweeping analysis of world history and development from 1914 to 1965. His scholarship focused on the role of elites, secret societies, and financial institutions in shaping world affairs, which has led him to be a controversial figure, especially among conspiracy theorists.

Quigley taught history at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service for nearly three decades, and he also taught at Harvard and Princeton. His most famous student was Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, who later praised Quigley in speeches and acknowledged his influence on his worldview. He also taught Nancy Pelosi.

Quigley's work, especially "Tragedy and Hope", has gained a cult following among political theorists and critics of globalism due to its claims that powerful financial elites orchestrate global events behind the scenes. He argued that international banking systems and other secretive organizations have played a pivotal role in both world wars and the development of global governance.

In Tragedy and Hope, he noted that, "The powers of financial capitalism had another far reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements, arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was the Bank for International Settlements in Basle, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the worlds' central banks which were themselves private corporations. The growth of financial capitalism made possible a centralization of world economic control and use of this power for the direct benefit of financiers and the indirect injury of all other economic groups."

Quigley was married to Lillian Mae Fox (1917-1993), and they had two sons, Denis and Thomas.

Key works:

• "Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time" (1966)
• "The Evolution of Civilizations: An Introduction to Historical Analysis" (1961)

Notable themes in his work:

• Global elites and secretive power structures
• The role of financial institutions in international conflict
• The cyclical nature of civilizations

Quigley is often cited by conspiracy theorists due to his detailed examination of secret societies and banking elites.