The Industrial Revolution vastly transformed the world in virtually all aspects of life. Begun in Britain, it would spread to the rest of Europe and later to the US and Japan, drastically changing society. Transformation of economy - The economy changed to take on capitalist aspects, revolving around supply and demand, trying to meet that demand with machines in conjunction with human labor, with the ultimate goal of making a profit. This goal encouraged the development of new inventions to improve efficiency, such as the steam engine which lead to the railroad, a great improvement in transportation and the symbol of industrialization.