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The three, arguably most important, European states for the last two centuries have been Britain, France and Prussia with the latter becoming the head of a unified Germany. Economically, militarily and, recently, politically in the formation of the EU, these three powers have played centre stage in European affairs of the past and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future. A major event for all of these states was their transformation from a mercantile agrarian and even feudal society to an efficient, capitalistic, industrial economy. In some cases, this transformation was a quick process: in others, a slow punctuated affair. For each state, it was a watershed moment that helped secure their position as world powers and set in motion the policies that helped shape their respective positions in the modern world. Germany and France set the course for a policy of collusion between state and industry while Britain has and continues to follow the law of economics, letting the market set its economic policy. Britain first began its process of industrialization, by some accounts, as early as 1740, while France’s first attempt was in 1789 and Germany had to wait until after 1870. The importance of a strong economy in