The Effect of Globalisation on Nation State: Extending the Nation ...

French revolution <strong>of</strong> 1789 was starting point in the formation <strong>of</strong> a homogeneous
population (Sarıca, 1969: 104).
<strong>The</strong> ease in the transportation and communication costs paved the way for the
emergence <strong>of</strong> a new and powerful bourgeoisie(see, Gereffi: 1994) in international level
and this played a crucial role in the formation <strong>of</strong> nation states. Industrial revolution and
the emergence <strong>of</strong> bourgeoisie in the West created the nation state. In contrast, in some
other parts <strong>of</strong> the world (especially and generally in the East) where the industrial
revolution did not take place or delayed bourgeoisie did not emerge and the state had to
take initiative economy and investments. In those places State Nations or imaginary
nations (see, Anderson, 2011) emerged.
2.<strong>The</strong> <strong>Effect</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Globalisation</strong> on Nation State
It is generally accepted that globalisation describes the fast change and
transformation (Capra, 2003: 113) in the world size and wide. Although it has a long
history, it emerged after the industrial revolution and globalisation process fastened
after 1980’s when new forms, rhythms and relations(Hall, 1991: 19) developed in
international system. Main characteristics <strong>of</strong> globalisation is that individuals, images,
technologies, technics and similar objects are in a permanent move and they are always
mobile without being bounded by any boundaries (see, Appadurai,1999: 229-238).
Time saving developments in transportation and communication means on the
one hand resulted in the signing <strong>of</strong> the act <strong>of</strong> Westphalia which was a turning point in
securing sovereign rights <strong>of</strong> states. On the other hand, those developments paved the
way for a new international system that somewhat started to erode the sovereignty rights
and area <strong>of</strong> the states. Hence, nation state is to go beyond its boundaries. European
Union is one <strong>of</strong> the most important regional economic organisations because it slowly
eroded the boundaries between European Nations without demolishing or humiliating
the nation state. Nation states are still important and indispensable actors <strong>of</strong> today’s
world as long as they stay open to the world and integrated to regional (continental) or
international economic system. This will secure the nation states and at the same time
eliminate any danger to the nation state and to the international system. Thus, the term
“nation state” itself neither is to be proud <strong>of</strong> nor is it something to be ashamed <strong>of</strong>.
Problem is how to design or how and under which conditions open and non-dangerous
1092