Corporation for Public Broadcasting See PBS
corporatism Theory and practice of organizing the whole of society into corporate entities subordinate to the state. According to the theory, employers and employees would be organized into industrial and profes¬ sional corporations serving as organs of political representation and largely controlling the people and activities within their jurisdiction. Its chief spokesman was Adam Muller (b. 1779—d. 1829), court philosopher to the FOrst (prince) von Metternich, who conceived of a “class state” in which the classes operated as guilds, or corporations, each controlling a specific function of social life. This idea found favour in central Europe after the French Revolution, but it was not put into practice until Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy; its implementation there had barely begun by the start of World War II, which resulted in his fall. After World War II, the governments of many democratic western European countries (e.g., Austria, Norway, and Sweden) developed strong corporatist ele¬ ments in an attempt to mediate and reduce conflict between businesses and trade unions and to enhance economic growth.
Corpus Christi City (pop., 2000: 277,454) and port on Corpus Christi Bay, southern Texas, U.S. Founded in 1839 as a trading post, it was the scene of Mexican War operations and American Civil War skirmishes. The arrival of the railroad in 1881 stimulated a land boom. The exploitation of gas (1923), development of a deepwater port (1926), and discovery of the Saxtet oil field (1939) laid the city’s economic foundation. Resort facilities are based on the bay and the coastal barrier islands, including Padre Island. It is also the site of the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.
Corpus Christi Bay Inlet, Gulf of Mexico, southern Texas, U.S. Form¬ ing a deepwater harbour for the port of Corpus Christi, it is 25 mi (40 km) long and 3-10 mi (5-16 km) wide and is sheltered on the east by Mus¬ tang Island. Its shipping serves the petroleum, chemical, and agricultural industries. The area is popular for sportfishing, waterfowl hunting, and boating. The bay was entered on the feast of Corpus Christi in 1519 by Alonso de Pineda, who claimed the region for Spain.
Correggio \ko-'re-jo\ orig. Antonio Allegri (b. August 1494, Cor¬ reggio, Modena—d. March 5, 1534, Correggio) Italian painter. He stud¬
ied the work of Andrea Mantegna in Mantua and was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci. On a visit to Rome he was inspired by the Vatican fres¬ coes of Michelangelo and Raphael. By 1518 he was in Parma, the scene of his greatest activity. His first large- scale commission there was the ceil¬ ing decoration of the Camera di San Paolo, in the convent of St. Paul (c.
1518-19). His fresco in the dome of Parma Cathedral (c. 1525-30) fea¬ tures the dramatic illusionistic style that influenced dome painting in the Baroque period. His use of bold fore¬ shortening, his brilliant, highly origi¬ nal approach to colour and light, and the exquisite grace of his figures established him as one of the most inventive artists of the High Renais¬ sance.
correlation In statistics, the degree of association between two random variables. The correlation between the graphs of two data sets is the degree to which they resemble each other. However, correlation is not the same as causation, and even a very close correlation may be no more than a coincidence. Mathemati¬ cally, a correlation is expressed by a correlation coefficient that ranges from -1 (never occur together), through 0 (absolutely independent), to 1 (always occur together).
Correll, Charles See Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll
Correns \'kor-ens\, Carl Erich (b. Sept. 19, 1864, Munich, Ger.—d. Feb. 14, 1933, Berlin) German botanist and geneticist. In the same year as Erich Tschermak von Seysenegg and Hugo de Vries (1900), he indepen¬ dently rediscovered Gregor Mendel’s paper outlining the principles of heredity. He conducted research with garden peas, from which he drew the same conclusions Mendel had. He helped provide the overwhelming body of evidence in support of Mendel’s thesis, anticipating Thomas Hunt Morgan’s development of the concept of linkage when he developed a theory of a physical coupling of genetic factors to account for the con¬ sistent inheritance of certain traits together. See also William Bateson.
Correspondence, Committees of See Committees of Correspon¬ dence
Corrigan, Sir Dominic John (b. Dec. 1, 1802, Dublin, Ire.—d. Feb. 1, 1880, Dublin) Irish physician. He wrote several reports on heart dis¬ eases; his paper on aortic insufficiency (1832) is the classic description. He also produced well-known studies on cirrhosis of the lung (1838), aor¬ titis as a cause of angina pectoris (1837), and mitral stenosis (1838). Eponyms such as Corrigan’s respiration (shallow breathing in fever) and Corrigan’s pulse (a jerking pulse beat) came into general use as a result of his investigations.
corrosion Wearing away due to chemical reactions, mainly oxidation (see oxidation-reduction, oxide). It occurs whenever a gas or liquid chemi¬ cally attacks an exposed surface, often a metal, and is accelerated by warm temperatures and by acids and salts. Normally, corrosion products (e.g., rust, patina) stay on the surface and protect it. Removing these deposits reexposes the surface, and corrosion continues. Some materials resist cor¬ rosion naturally; others can be treated to protect them (e.g., by coating, painting, galvanizing, or anodizing).
corruption Improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another. Its forms include bribery, extortion, and the misuse of inside information. It exists where there is community indif¬ ference or a lack of enforcement policies. In societies with a culture of ritualized gift giving, the line between acceptable and unacceptable gifts is often hard to draw. See also organized crime.
Jupiter and lo, oil on canvas by Cor¬ reggio, c. 1530; in the Kunsthis- torisches Museum, Vienna.
COURTESY OF THE KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM, VIENNA
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
corset ► Cosgrove i 469
corset Article of clothing worn to shape or constrict the torso. It dates to at least c. 2000 bc, when it was worn as an outer garment by men as well as women in Minoan Crete. In the 16th-17th century it was worn to flatten the chest and was reinforced with wood. Some outer corsets were jeweled and elaborately embroidered. After 1660 they were shaped to accentuate the breasts. In the 19th century the corset, now reinforced with whalebone or metal, changed with the style of dresses; over-tight lacing of corsets was blamed for numerous health problems. The corset was abandoned in the 1920s, when looser-fitting, straight clothes came into fashion, and in the 1930s it was replaced by the brassiere and girdle, made of elastic materials, and by the one-piece corselette.
Corsica Vkor-si-k9\ French Corse Island (pop., 1999: 260,196) in the Mediterranean Sea and an administrative region of France. The fourth largest island in the Mediterranean, it has an area of 3,352 sq mi (8,681 sq km). While remains of human occupation date from at least the 3rd millennium bc, recorded history begins c. 560 bc, when Greeks from Asia Minor founded a town there. Taken by the Romans in the 3rd-2nd cen¬ turies bc, it, together with Sardinia, became a prosperous Roman prov¬ ince. Conquered later by several peoples, including Byzantines and Arabs, it was granted to Pisa in the 11th century ad. Later ruled mainly by Genoa through the mid-18th century, in 1768 it became a province of France. It was the birthplace of Napoleon. The island’s economic life is based on tourism and agriculture.