ABSTRACT
Globalization is a process whose origins are directly related to advances in technology, particularly transportation technologies. Globalization may be described as the "obliteration of distance" as a result of the development of seagoing ships; the invention of the locomotive, the airplane, and automobiles; the development of other transportation technologies such as invention of the compass; and the utilization of motorways and containerization. This chapter focuses on three challenges to European democracies that directly arise as a result of globalization: first, maintaining the generous European welfare state; second, the unprecedented levels of immigration into many of the "old" European countries; and third, the sense of loss of "community" across many of the same countries. Globalization's biggest challenge to national governments is dealing with the loss of control over domestic politics. European democracies face two separate yet related challenges: the political ramifications of legal and illegal immigration; and how to integrate those who have been given legal status in a European country.
