The present paper reports on an effort to delineate patterns of change, as measured by certain "developmental" indicators, across a number of countries identifiable, by contemporary criteria, as either "industrialized" or "nonindustrialized." Two timespans will be considered: (1) a fairly lengthy period from 1865-1966, and (2) a more recent period from 1946-66. The principal reason for treating the two spans independently is that, due to data limitations, relatively few variables could be utilized for the longer period. Conversely, given a greater range of potential indicators for the shorter period, a more adequate selection could be made of those deemed developmentally relevant. Finally, a more detailed (year-by-year) analysis is possible for the 1946-66 period. The 38 countries selected for analysis include virtually all those with records of continuous independence since 1865 (see table 1).1