For centuries, corruption has been accepted as a seemingly inevitable fact of life. At the same time, there has never been any serious doubt that corruption is one of the major impediments to development, that it endangers the rule of law, human rights, and democracy as well as the economic prospects of a society. This paper attempts to explain the dramatic change of attitude over the last 5 or 10 years, to distinguish between essential economic and political conditions and catalysts that have allowed the development of the worldwide movement against corruption. The paper discusses the perspective of the industrialized world, the perspective of the developing world, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concept and the European Union and Council of Europe approaches. It also briefly mentions two other international initiatives that establish minimal standards for member states--the Organization of American States and the United Nations. The paper includes a discussion of specific issues relating to the criminalization of transnational bribery. Notes