Where did conspiracy theories come from before the internet?

Pamphlets, AM radio, boring the tits of some poor bastrad in the pub.

bullsh!t at the workplace canteen that spiralled into urban myths 😐️

check out operation mindfuck, two lads Kerry Thornley and Greg Hill start taking out ads in the local newspaper trying to mess with peoples heads.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1GcQDTcsqvNnL1qhMxRJwZW/kerry-thornley

https://nymag.com/news/features/conspiracy-theories/operation-mindfuck/

The internet was designed by the lizard people as a tool purely to promote conspiracy theories

There were no conspiracies, or even any lizard people, before they invented the internet 🤔

I was at school in the 70's when i first heard about the moon landings being 'faked'. Someone had seen a TV show which claimed the shadows were on the wrong side or some such bollox.

I suppose a lot of conspiracy theories from that time must've come from television programmes.

You're right, Capricorn one with none other than OJ Simpson in the cast . . . Creator of another bunch of conspiracy theories.

Books usually. The 70s saw a big explosion in pulp "non fiction" paperbacks about UFOs etc and since debunked but big sellers like Chariots Of The Gods (it was aliens) and Michelle Remembers (about supposed Satanic ritual abuse, all bollocks).

I think Capricorn One. But it was Mars rather than the moon. May be a different film.

this is an early example

Purple monkey dishwasher.

Why don't you ask the Syrians, Palestinians or Egyptians to name but a few as to whether that's a fabricated antisemitic text... They are more or less living the prophecy outlined in it.

The one about Aids being deliberately created in a laboratory was another one that originated in Russia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_INFEKTION

Late night radio talk shows, extremist political groups, books, pamphlets, tabloid newspapers, in the old days priests would preach anti semetic sermons , there have always been books that were racists and sexist, fake documents, in the 80s there was a theory that dnd dungeons and dragons. Fantasy roleplaying was some kind of cult, of course now there's weird conspiracy theory's on social media, Facebook etc Qanon is based on old conspiracy theory's

Some people might say scientology is just a religion made up by a science fiction writer based on conspiracy theory's about aliens

Rumours are the same as conspiracy theories. No need for politicians or governments need not be involved at it has been around since before these countries existed. Even Mosses had a conspiracy theory he was Jewish. A lot of conspiracy theories now are just anti-what ever and just from attention seekers. Alex Jones does it for money and doubt any of his stuff is from a government