The Corruption of the Century: Words and Discourses about Political Corruption in Nineteenth-Century Spain

The purpose of the article is to clarify and organise the various meanings inherent in the semantic family associated with the concept of political corruption adopted in nineteenth-century Spain. We analyse meanings that appeared in the legal, philosophical, and purely political spheres. In so doing, we take into account the historical, institutional and political context of each one. We review parliamentary speeches, the press and the political treatises, and highlight the arguments used to legitimise good government and its antithesis.