Skip to content
Suggest a term
MixedPoliticsLast updated: January 15, 2025

The Great Reset

The 'Great Reset' is a real public initiative launched by the World Economic Forum in 2020 to promote sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery. However, widespread conspiracy theories attribute to it covert goals — such as abolishing private property or installing a world government — that are not reflected in any WEF documents or credible evidence.

What we know

The Great Reset was officially launched by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in June 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its stated goals, as articulated by WEF founder Klaus Schwab and Prince Charles, were to encourage governments and corporations to rebuild post-pandemic economies in ways that address climate change, reduce inequality, and align with the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative produced a book, numerous policy papers, and conference sessions, all publicly available.

The Great Reset's actual documented proposals include: green investment in infrastructure, stakeholder capitalism (businesses accounting for social and environmental impacts), digital transformation, and fairer tax policies. None of these documents advocate for abolishing private property, installing surveillance systems to control citizens, eliminating cash, or creating a world government — claims that circulate widely in conspiracy communities.

The conspiracy interpretation of the Great Reset often conflates separate, real policy debates (central bank digital currencies, ESG investing, carbon pricing) and interprets them as a coordinated secret plan. The BBC and other media organizations documented how the phrase was systematically weaponized as an umbrella term for pre-existing conspiracy theories following the WEF's 2020 initiative.

The term merits a 'mixed' status because: (1) the WEF Great Reset is a real and documented initiative with specific policy proposals that can be evaluated and debated on their merits; (2) many claims made about what the Great Reset entails are fabricated or substantially distorted; and (3) legitimate critiques of elite economic policymaking exist separately from conspiracy claims.

Common claims

  • The Great Reset is a secret plan to abolish private property.False — WEF documents contain no such proposal; this misrepresents a rhetorical point about evolving ownership models.
  • The Great Reset aims to install a world government.False — no WEF document proposes this; the initiative addresses economic and climate policy frameworks.
  • The WEF's Great Reset is a real policy initiative.True — launched June 2020, with published documents, a book, and public conference sessions.
  • The Great Reset would benefit ordinary people.Contested — legitimate policy debate exists; supporters emphasize sustainability goals, critics argue it concentrates corporate power.

Evidence hierarchy

01The Great Reset (WEF 2030 Agenda page)World Economic Forum's official documentation of the Great Reset initiative, including stated objectives and proposed policy frameworks.02Great Reset — WikipediaEncyclopedia overview of the WEF Great Reset initiative and the conspiracy theories associated with it, with citations.03The Great Reset: How did it get hijacked by conspiracy theories?BBC Trending investigation documenting how the WEF's policy initiative was reframed by conspiracy communities and what specific distortions were introduced.04The Great Reset: Restratification for Lives, Livelihoods, and the PlanetPeer-reviewed academic analysis of the Great Reset concept published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change.

All sources

Related terms

Agenda 203015-minute cities are prisonsSoros pays protesters