Final answer:
The first break came to different world regions primarily in an economic sense through the process of industrialization, leading to a Great Divergence where Europe and later North America gained significant advantages over regions like Africa, Latin America, and most of Asia, which remained economically disadvantaged.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of global historical development, the first break came to different world regions primarily in an economic sense, as some regions, particularly those in Europe and later North America, experienced rapid industrialization and gained significant economic advantages.
This economic development was a key factor in the Great Divergence, where European nations, notably Britain and France, benefited from capital, resources, and markets acquired through their colonies in the Americas and Asia.
The establishment of the industrial economy based on mechanical production in factories during the end of the eighteenth century greatly transformed European societies, and this modernization had a profound impact on social, economic, and political structures which were further deployed globally through the process of colonization and globalization.
Conversely, regions such as Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with the exception of Japan, did not industrialize at the same pace and were thus left at a disadvantage. Various factors such as lack of natural resources like coal, unequal treaties, and imposition from European conquerors with advanced weaponry contributed to this divergence.
Thus, option A) Economically, as some regions experienced rapid industrialization, is the most accurate representation of how the first break came to different world regions, altering the global economic landscape and leading to a shift in power and cultural exchanges that continue to influence present-day globalization dynamics.