Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Corruption
(2,389 words)

1. Definition

Corruption (from Latin corrumpere, “to deprave”) denotes the general process of physical/biological, moral, institutional, or political decay and, more broadly, any change from an original state into something unrecognizable vis-à-vis that state. From the 18th century onward, this came to refer increasingly specifically to malpractice, from bribery, extortion, and rigging of elections to em…

Cite this page
Engels, Jens Ivo, “Corruption”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_022674>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



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