The industrial revolution in Great Britain was the first example of the transition to a modern industrial economy. Certain features of this transition were later copied and modified by other coutries undergoing the same process. This book considers the main similarities and differences in the process of industrialization, grouping the main countries according to sequence, characteristics, and status in the world economy. France, Belgium and Switzerland are examples of one type, and the USA and Germany form a second. Russia and Japan represent the many countries that developed a modern economy in the later phase of industrialization.