The industrialization represents a decisive turning point in the history of humanity. It must be understood as a fundamental economic and social transformation that initially affected Great Britain at the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, followed by Western Europe, later the rest of Europe and North America, and eventually the entire world. The author describes this very complex process in detail as it unfolded in Germany from the late 18th century throughout the 19th century. Although the period under consideration encompasses very different political, economic, and geographical phases of Germany's development, a certain structural unity of the German economy can be recognized. Pierenkemper points to the historically significant changes in production, market, and sales, and emphasizes the infrastructure.