The Illuminati, like, the actual Illuminati, not the club with funny hats that your uncle goes to that's called the Illuminati, was founded at the University of Ingolstadt in Ingolstadt, Bavaria in the 18th century. It was a secret society that presumably discussed intellectual topics that were highly frowned upon by society at large. Eventually the Bavarian government forced the Illuminati to disband.
So I suppose there are two questions.
1) Has the Illuminati been surviving in secret for over two centuries?
2) If it has, does it rule the world of today?