The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts

The Dark Arts are a branch of magic devoted to causing harm, control, or death. Their practice is widely condemned in the wizarding world, with many of the most powerful spells being classified as illegal. The history of the Dark Arts is marked by cyclical periods where a powerful Dark Wizard amasses followers and threatens the established order, followed by their eventual defeat. In the 20th century, the two most significant “rises” of the Dark Arts were orchestrated by Gellert Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort. This entry chronicles these periods of ascendancy and subsequent collapse, primarily focusing on the events detailed in British wizarding history.

The first major rise of the Dark Arts in the 20th century was led by Gellert Grindelwald. A former friend of Albus Dumbledore, Grindelwald became a dangerously powerful Dark Wizard who terrorized Europe for years. His ideology was rooted in the belief of wizarding superiority over Muggles, a goal he pursued under the slogan “For the Greater Good.” His reign of terror culminated in a legendary duel with Dumbledore in 1945. Grindelwald's defeat ended this global conflict and led to his imprisonment in Nurmengard, marking the first significant “fall” of the Dark Arts in the modern era.

Considered by many to be the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort initiated a new era of darkness in Britain. After leaving Hogwarts, he gathered a following of witches and wizards known as the Death Eaters, who shared his Pure-blood supremacist ideology. Voldemort's primary goal was to conquer death, which he attempted by creating multiple Horcruxes, fragmenting his soul through acts of murder.

• The Reign of Terror: This period, lasting roughly from 1970 to 1981, was characterized by widespread fear, disappearances, and open conflict. Voldemort and his Death Eaters committed countless atrocities, targeting Muggle-borns, Muggles, and anyone who opposed them.
• The Opposition: The Order of the Phoenix, a secret society founded by Albus Dumbledore, was formed to fight against Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic's Aurors were granted permission to use the Unforgivable Curses against their enemies.
• The First “Fall”: The war came to an abrupt end on 31 October 1981. Acting on a prophecy, Voldemort attacked the Potter family. After murdering James Potter, he attempted to kill the infant Harry Potter. The Killing Curse rebounded due to the sacrificial protection created by Lily Potter's death, destroying Voldemort's body and ending his reign.

Following Voldemort's disappearance, the wizarding world entered a period of relative peace that lasted for over a decade. Many Death Eaters were captured and imprisoned in Azkaban, though some, like Lucius Malfoy, successfully claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse to evade punishment. Voldemort himself was not dead but was reduced to a spectral, powerless form, forced into hiding. Despite the apparent victory, key figures like Albus Dumbledore knew that the threat of the Dark Arts was not permanently extinguished and that Voldemort would one day seek to return.

The Dark Arts saw their most terrifying resurgence with the return of Lord Voldemort. This new war began in earnest on 24 June 1995, when Voldemort used Harry Potter's blood to create a new body for himself in the Little Hangleton graveyard.

• The Ministry's Denial: For a full year, the Ministry of Magic, under Cornelius Fudge, refused to accept the truth of Voldemort's return, leading a smear campaign against Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. This inaction allowed Voldemort and his reassembled Death Eaters to operate in secret.
• Open Warfare: The truth became undeniable after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. The war escalated, with Death Eaters causing chaos and destruction across Britain. This period saw the assassination of Albus Dumbledore and the eventual fall of the Ministry of Magic, which was placed under the control of a puppet Minister, Pius Thicknesse.
• The Apex of Dark Power: With the Ministry and Hogwarts under their control, the Death Eaters enforced a tyrannical regime. Defence Against the Dark Arts was twisted into simply the Dark Arts, and a Muggle-Born Registration Commission was established to persecute and imprison Muggle-born witches and wizards. This marked the zenith of the Dark Arts' power in modern history.

The downfall of this dark regime was orchestrated by the quest to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes, undertaken by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. The final confrontation occurred on 2 May 1998, at the Battle of Hogwarts. As his Horcruxes were destroyed one by one, Voldemort became mortal again. He was ultimately killed when his own Killing Curse rebounded against him, as he was not the true master of the Elder Wand. His death signified the definitive end of the Second Wizarding War and the collapse of his regime. The remaining Death Eaters were killed, captured, or went into hiding, and the wizarding world began to heal under the new leadership of Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt.

• Unforgivable Curses: The three curses considered the most sinister instruments of the Dark Arts: the Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra), the Cruciatus Curse (Crucio), and the Imperius Curse (Imperio). Their use on a human being carries a mandatory life sentence in Azkaban.
• Horcruxes: The pinnacle of Dark invention. A Horcrux is an object in which a wizard or witch has concealed a fragment of their soul, rendering them immortal so long as the object remains intact. Its creation requires the supreme act of evil: murder.
• Inferi: Human corpses that have been reanimated by a Dark Wizard's curse. They are not alive but are enchanted to act as gruesome puppets, often used as guardians for dark treasures.
• Dark Potions: A category of Potions with malevolent or dangerous effects. Notable examples include the Drink of Despair, which induces pain and terrible visions, and the potion used to restore Voldemort to a rudimentary body.
• Dark Curses and Spells: A vast array of spells designed to maim, control, or kill. This includes spells like Sectumsempra, a curse that lacerates the target, and Morsmordre, which conjures the Dark Mark.

J.K. Rowling has stated that Voldemort's ideology of Pure-blood supremacy and the persecution of specific groups was influenced by Nazi ideology. (J.K. Rowling interview) The rise of Gellert Grindelwald and the global scope of his influence are explored in much greater detail in the Fantastic Beasts film series. (film)