Definition of "driving force" []

• The act of applying force to propel something (noun)

WordNet. Princeton University. 2010.

• "Occultism was the real driving force behind many apparently ‘rationalist’ thinkers—such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sir Isaac Newton—and behind the inner circle of organizations such as the Templars, some chapters of Freemasonry, and the Priory of Sion."
• "Pavillon, together with two other clerics, the famous St Vincent de Paul and Jean-Jacques Olier the builder of St Sulpice, were the driving force behind the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement, which was also known among its members as ‘the Cabal of the Devout’."
• "The main driving force behind the Lyons meeting was Jean-Baptiste Willermoz 1730-1824, who was also a member of the Elect Cohens."