Pre-University Paper from the year 2013 in the subject Sociology - Economy and Industry, grade: 12, , language: English, abstract: "Made in Germany", the "Industrial Revolution", and "Industrial Espionage": what do these terms have in common? "Industrial Revolution" describes a transition from an agrarian to an industrial society at the end of the 18th century, starting in Great Britain and spreading from there. ) Whether railroad or steam engine, the technical innovations of the 18th century profoundly changed the working style and lifestyle of the people. Technical innovations went hand in hand with organizational innovations, such as the introduction of a factory system which ultimately put in motion a trans-formation process - now called the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolu-tion is one of the most significant turning points in history. There is no other known event in which, within such a short period, a centuries-old agrarian soci-ety was turned upside down and, within a few decades, something new was created. The starting point is considered to be the development of the spinning machine by Richard Arkwright in the summer of 1769, creating industrial cotton process-ing in textile centers in England, as well as the invention of the steam engine by James Watt. Within a short time, new inventions hit the market almost continu-ously -- inventions that changed life significantly. At that time, England was the leading force with the majority of the inventions having their origins there. Across Europe, people admired England with its ideas and inventions. First inventions were made in Germany as well, where they quickly began to copy, rebuild, and sell English products in England. In a targeted manner, Eng-land's advanced manufacturing processes were spied on by Germany, copied, and sold on the English market, initially mostly were of poor quality. This signifi-cantly impacted the English producers, and soon political and legal measures against the copiers were requested.