  We review observational evidence bearing on the formation of a prototypical
large spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. New ground- and space-based studies of
globular star clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies provide a wealth of
information to constrain theories of galaxy formation. It appears likely that
the Milky Way formed by a combination of rapid, dissipative collapse and
mergers, but the relative contributions of these two mechanisms remain
controversial. New evidence, however, indicates that initial star and star
cluster formation occurred simultaneously over a volume that presently extends
to twice the distance of the Magellanic Clouds.
