Corruption

Corruption, wrongdoing by those in a special position of trust. The term is commonly applied to self-benefiting conduct by public officials and others dedicated to public service.

For information on:

• great historical scandals of government corruption, see Crédit Mobilier of America; Teapot Dome; Whiskey Ring
• recent scandals of government corruption, see Italy: Shifting Alignments; Japan: Political Turmoil; United Arab Emirates: Independence; Watergate
• notably corrupt leaders and governments, see Alexander VI; Simon Cameron; Chicago (city, Illinois): History; Warren Harding: Corruption; Republic of the Philippines: The Marcos Regime; Tammany Society; William Marcy Tweed
• corruption of the human soul, see Sin (religious transgression); Neoplatonism
• exposing corruption in business and government, see Samuel Hopkins Adams; Lincoln Steffens; Journalism: Journalists as Social Critics
• exposing corruption in the Church, see Arnold of Brescia; Girolamo Savonarola
• exposing corruption through satire, see Émile Augier; William Langland; Andrew Marvell; John Skelton; Jonathan Swift
• reform measures to end government corruption, see Civil Service; Electoral Reform; Charles Evans Hughes; South Korea: Democratic Reforms; Electoral Reform; Political Machines
• reform measures to end spiritual corruption, see Noah; Reformation; Counter Reformation
• politicians dedicated to reform, see Fiorello La Guardia; Samuel J. Tilden
• the spoils system, source of much corruption in 19th-century United States politics, see Chester Alan Arthur; Spoils System
• for additional information on corruption, see Related Articles