ABSTRACT
The Industrial Revolution spawned a fundamental economic and social transformation. Industrial production techniques dramatically expanded productive capacities and resulted in a wide range of new materials and products. Large numbers of national populations migrated from rural, subsistence-agriculture social contexts to the factory and the city. 1 Reverberations of this fundamental transformation were felt in the political and military realms as well, challenging national states to adapt to the changing environment. The best adapters harnessed the energies of the Industrial Revolution to the state. Techniques of mass-production forged new, powerful instruments of war. Industrial technologies expanded the reach of state power. The best adapters were rewarded with an advantage, although temporary, in the international political realm. Eventually, the techniques and technologies of the Industrial Revolution enabled European states to replace the centuries-old rough balance of power between Europe and the great civilizations of the Middle East and East Asia with domination.
