Horn explains for the general reader how the Industrial Revolution resulted in the system of trade, conquest and colonization practiced by the West up to the present, how Western domestic practices presaged its behavior internationally, and how Western states worked for or against industrialization. He describes the standards of living during the Industrial Revolution, the theoretical and historical foundations of what became a new economy, the impact of technological improvements and the elaboration of the factory system, the reasons why Britain was the first, the realities of dealing with dominant economic powers, the features of industrialization that led to the new world order, and the dynamics of a system set by supply, demand and fashion.