Peter N. Stearns is University Professor and Provost Emeritus at George Mason University, USA.

1. Introduction: Defining the Industrial Revolution Part I: The First Phase, 1760-1880: Western Primacy, Global Contexts and Global Results 2. Britain's Revolution: New Processes and Economic Transformation 3. New Causes: Why Did the Industrial Revolution Happen, and Why Did It Happen in Eighteenth-Century Britain 4. The Industrial Revolution in Western Society 5. The Social Impact of the Industrial Revolution 6. The Impact on the World Economy Part II: The Second Phase, 1880-1950: The New International Cast 7. The Industrial Revolution Changes Stripes, 1880-1950 8. The Industrial Revolution in Russia 9. The Industrial Revolution in Japan 10. New Developments in Western Societies: A Second Revolution? Redefinitions of the Industrial Economy 11. The Industrial Revolution in International Context Part III: The Third Phase, 1950-Present: Global Intensification 12. The Industrial Revolution in the Contemporary World 13. The New Industrial Revolutions: Transforming the International Balance Sheet 14. China's Breakthrough: Another Big Industrial Revolution 15. Advanced Industrial Economies: Another Revolution? 16. Globalization, Progress and Exploitation: A New World Economy 17. Global Industry and the Environment 18. Disruptions and New Directions in the Industrial World 19. Conclusion: Industrialization as an Ongoing Process 20. Suggestions for Further Reading