"Industrialization" refers to the socio-economic development process that transformed agrarian societies into industrial societies—societies characterized by machine production, free entrepreneurs, wage labor, the mobility of goods and people, and urban lifestyles. Beginning in England, most countries in Europe and North America, as well as a few other nations, underwent the industrialization process between the mid-18th century and the onset of World War I. This transformation enabled the economic growth that we take for granted today— a prerequisite for prosperity, but also for social problems, which are primarily addressed through social security instruments. Industrialization is a classic subject in history lessons. This volume covers the fundamentals.