As this will be a comprehensive article, I've decided to split it up into the following sections:

Introduction

How did the term come about & become a tool for defamation?

A German journalist spills the beans

Same Playbook, Different War

The Council on Foreign Relations conspiracy

Conspiracy Theories that turned out to be true

Notable Unresolved Conspiracies

Conspiracies to Watch

Mini-Guide to Investigating Conspiracies

Conclusion

Introduction

It seems like you can't catch a news headline or social media post these days without coming across the terms conspiracy theory and conspiracy theorist, or phrases like 'spreading conspiracies'. One has to wonder: why are they so frequently employed?