I had been reading up on the illuminati (both real and fictional) for fun, and found that there had been accusations that the illuminati had caused the French Revolution. The theory was promoted by Augustin Barruel, who wrote "Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism", and John Robison, who wrote "proofs of a conspiracy". I was wondering if these claims have any support today, or if it's dismissed as scapegoating or fearmongering.
The Illuminati, as Augustin Barruel describes it, is fictional. He ties together branches of enlightenment philosophy with various secret societies and claims that it's all one big group. This link has excerpts from an essay that debunks specific claims.
Most of the supposed Illuminati connections are the influences of Freemasonry on the Revolution. A lot of pre-Revolutionary masons became revolutionaries, and some lodges turned into clubs. Couthon, Philippe Egalité, Camille Desmoulins, Danton, La Fayette, Brissot, Lazare Carnot, Mirabeau, Jacques-Louis David, and several other influential actors were masons. Masonic lodges were a safe place to spread and develop egalitarian ideas, so it's not surprising that many who were attracted to it would later join the Revolution. The lodges also influenced the creation and function of networks of clubs across France.
That hardly points to a hidden masonic hand controlling events, though. At least not a very competent one. Of the names listed above, Couthon, Philippe Egalité, Camille Desmoulins, Danton and Brissot were executed, along with many other masons. A lot of the time they were trying to take each other out. The number of lodges after the Revolution was a fraction of what it had been before. Support for the Revolution was also far from universal.