What if the American Dream didn't fade by accident—but was deliberately dismantled? In The Illusion of Democracy , educator and historian Phil Mennitti, M.Ed., pulls back the curtain on a hidden history, spotlighting pivotal events that forever altered the course of this Constitutional Republic. This riveting book, frequently hailed as the hidden history of the Deep State, reveals how influential elites have orchestrated crises—including staged false flag operations—to expand their authority, amassing extraordinary wealth and power across generations. Connecting the dots from covert operations to modern deceptions, Mennitti uncovers a recurring pattern of orchestrated conflicts that have eroded individual freedoms, impoverished the middle class, and transformed the republic into a modern feudal system dominated by oligarchs. Written in clear language at a high school reading level, The Illusion of Democracy is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand what went wrong—and how to reclaim the promise of the American Dream. Originally written in 2015, the format of this version is 485 pages.