Okuzeka
International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · Theories of International Relations

Great power

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

nounCommon term

In international relations & diplomacy, great power means: A state with enough military, economic and political strength to influence events far beyond its own region and to shape the international system.

In Turkish: büyük güç

How it is used

Used in history and IR theory: 'great power politics', 'great power rivalry', 'the great powers of nineteenth-century Europe'. A 'superpower' is a step higher, while a 'middle power' and a 'regional power' are lower.

Example sentences

  1. The Congress of Vienna in 1814–1815 brought together the great powers of Europe.

  2. Small states try to avoid being caught in great power rivalry.

  3. The book compares how great powers rise and decline.

Common collocations

  • great power rivalry
  • great power politics
  • rising great power
  • great power status
  • balance of powerA situation in which power is spread among states so that no single state or group can dominate the others; also the idea that states act to create such a balance.
  • hegemonyLeadership or dominance by one state over others, based on military, economic and often cultural power, which allows it to set many of the rules of the system.
  • realismA major theory of international relations holding that states are the main actors, that they pursue power and security in an anarchic system, and that conflict is always possible.
  • hard powerA country's ability to make others act in a certain way through military force or economic pressure, such as threats, sanctions or payments.

More terms: Theories of International Relations

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: