ABSTRACT
Corruption as a historical phenomenon is, to the best of knowledge, a problem that has never been dealt with systematically. There are two types of constitutions under which corruption, by definition, does not occur—namely in the case of monarchy when interpreted as absolute one-man rule, and in the case of constitutions built upon the idea of popular sovereignty. Corruption is built on the underlying principle that the people are subjected to the control of officials. This chapter maintains that the tendency of monarchy to check corruption was little developed in Europe during the ancien régime, perhaps least of all in England. The intermediary groups were the breeding places for corruption. This is generally true for both the traditional intermediary groups and the civil-servant class created by the prince. The chapter establishes two broad categories of practices: fraud or graft at the expense of the treasury and (2) extortion of the subjects.
