I review several recent results, from both observational and theoretical viewpoints, that provide firm indications that internal secular evolution driven by bars is one of the few fundamental processes that shape today's galaxies. I will also show how 2D bulge/bar/disk decomposition of galaxy images is an accurate and powerful tool to study the evolution of the different structural components in galaxies. In particular, I aim at conveying three important notions: (i): box/peanuts are just the inner parts of bars; (ii): the physical reality of two different families of bulges is evident; and (iii): at the high mass end, at least, classical bulges are not just scaled down ellipticals surrounded by disks.

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08-08-2012_Secular_Evolution.avi (69min, 146MB)