HistoryThe Congress of Vienna by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, 1819
Different sets of great, or significant, powers have existed throughout history; however, the term
"great power"
has only been used in scholarly or diplomatic discourse since the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
The Congress established the Concert of Europe as an attempt to preserve peace after the years of Napoleonic Wars.
Lord Castlereagh,
the British Foreign Secretary, first used the term in its diplomatic context, in a letter sent on February 13, 1814:
"It affords me great satisfaction to acquaint you that there is every prospect of the Congress terminating with a general accord and Guarantee between the Great powers of Europe, with a determination to support the arrangement agreed upon, and to turn the general influence and if necessary the general arms against the Power that shall first attempt to disturb the Continental peace.
The Congress of Vienna consisted of five main powers:
the
United Kingdom, the Austrian Empire, Prussia, France, and Russia.
These five primary participants constituted the original great powers as we know the term today.
Other powers, such as Spain, Portugal, and Sweden were consulted on certain specific issues, but they were not full participants.
Hanover, Bavaria, and Württemberg were also consulted on issues relating to Germany.
Of the five original great powers recognised at the Congress of Vienna,
only
France and the United Kingdom
have maintained that status to the present day,
although
France was conquered and occupied
during
World War II.
After the Congress of Vienna,
the British Empire emerged as the pre-eminent power,
due to its navy and the extent of its territories
and
signaled the beginning of the Pax Britannica
and of
The Great Game between Britain and Russia.
The Balance of power between the Great Powers became a major influence in European politics, prompting Otto von Bismarck to say
"All politics reduces itself to this formula: try to be one of three, as long as the world is governed by the unstable equilibrium of five great powers."
Over time, the relative power of these five nations fluctuated,
which by the dawn of the 20th century had served to create an entirely different balance of power.
Some, such
as the
UK and Prussia
(as part of the newly-formed German state),
experienced continued economic growth and political power.
Others, such as Russia and Austria-Hungary, slowly stagnated.
At the same time,
other states were emerging and expanding in power, largely through the process of industrialization.
The foremost of these emerging powers were Japan after the Meiji Restoration and the United States after its civil war,
both of which
had been minor powers in 1815.
By the dawn of the 20th century the balance of world power had changed substantially since the Congress of Vienna.
The Eight-Nation Alliance was a belligerent alliance of eight nations against the Boxer Rebellion in China.
It formed in 1900 and consisted of the five Congress powers plus Italy, Japan,
and the
United States,
representing the great powers at the beginning of 20th century.
Great powers at war
The
"Big Four"
at the
Treaty of Versailles:
David Lloyd George,
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando,
Georges Clemenceau
and
Woodrow Wilson.
Shifts of international power have most notably occurred through major conflicts.
The conclusion of the
Great War and the resulting treaties of Versailles,
St-Germain, and Trianon
witnessed
the
United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan and the United States as the chief arbiters of the new world order.
In the aftermath of
World War I
the
German Empire was defeated,
the Austria-Hungarian empire was divided into new,
less powerful states
and
the
Russian Empire fell to a revolution.
During the Treaty of Versailles the
"Big Three"
—France, the United Kingdom, and the United States—
held noticeably more power and influence on the proceedings and outcome of the treaty than Italy or Japan.
The victorious great powers also gained an acknowledgment of their status
through
permanent seats
at the
League of Nations Council,
where they acted as a type of executive body directing the Assembly of the League. But the Council began with only four permanent members
– Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan –
because the
United States, meant to be the fifth permanent member,
left because
the
US Senate voted on 19 March 1920 against the ratification
of the
Treaty of Versailles, thus
preventing
American participation in the League.
When World War II started in 1939,
it divided the world into two alliances
– the Allies
(Great Britain and France at first, followed in 1941 by the Soviet Union, the United States, and China);
and the
Axis powers consisting of Germany and the former Allies Italy and Japan.
The end
of
World War II saw the United States,
United Kingdom, and Soviet Union emerge as the primary victors.
The importance of the
Republic of China and France was acknowledged by their inclusion,
along with the other three,
in the group of countries allotted permanent seats
in the
United Nations Security Council.
Different sets of great, or significant, powers have existed throughout history; however, the term
"great power"
has only been used in scholarly or diplomatic discourse since the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
The Congress established the Concert of Europe as an attempt to preserve peace after the years of Napoleonic Wars.
Lord Castlereagh,
the British Foreign Secretary, first used the term in its diplomatic context, in a letter sent on February 13, 1814:
"It affords me great satisfaction to acquaint you that there is every prospect of the Congress terminating with a general accord and Guarantee between the Great powers of Europe, with a determination to support the arrangement agreed upon, and to turn the general influence and if necessary the general arms against the Power that shall first attempt to disturb the Continental peace.
The Congress of Vienna consisted of five main powers:
the
United Kingdom, the Austrian Empire, Prussia, France, and Russia.
These five primary participants constituted the original great powers as we know the term today.
Other powers, such as Spain, Portugal, and Sweden were consulted on certain specific issues, but they were not full participants.
Hanover, Bavaria, and Württemberg were also consulted on issues relating to Germany.
Of the five original great powers recognised at the Congress of Vienna,
only
France and the United Kingdom
have maintained that status to the present day,
although
France was conquered and occupied
during
World War II.
After the Congress of Vienna,
the British Empire emerged as the pre-eminent power,
due to its navy and the extent of its territories
and
signaled the beginning of the Pax Britannica
and of
The Great Game between Britain and Russia.
The Balance of power between the Great Powers became a major influence in European politics, prompting Otto von Bismarck to say
"All politics reduces itself to this formula: try to be one of three, as long as the world is governed by the unstable equilibrium of five great powers."
Over time, the relative power of these five nations fluctuated,
which by the dawn of the 20th century had served to create an entirely different balance of power.
Some, such
as the
UK and Prussia
(as part of the newly-formed German state),
experienced continued economic growth and political power.
Others, such as Russia and Austria-Hungary, slowly stagnated.
At the same time,
other states were emerging and expanding in power, largely through the process of industrialization.
The foremost of these emerging powers were Japan after the Meiji Restoration and the United States after its civil war,
both of which
had been minor powers in 1815.
By the dawn of the 20th century the balance of world power had changed substantially since the Congress of Vienna.
The Eight-Nation Alliance was a belligerent alliance of eight nations against the Boxer Rebellion in China.
It formed in 1900 and consisted of the five Congress powers plus Italy, Japan,
and the
United States,
representing the great powers at the beginning of 20th century.
Great powers at war
The
"Big Four"
at the
Treaty of Versailles:
David Lloyd George,
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando,
Georges Clemenceau
and
Woodrow Wilson.
Shifts of international power have most notably occurred through major conflicts.
The conclusion of the
Great War and the resulting treaties of Versailles,
St-Germain, and Trianon
witnessed
the
United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan and the United States as the chief arbiters of the new world order.
In the aftermath of
World War I
the
German Empire was defeated,
the Austria-Hungarian empire was divided into new,
less powerful states
and
the
Russian Empire fell to a revolution.
During the Treaty of Versailles the
"Big Three"
—France, the United Kingdom, and the United States—
held noticeably more power and influence on the proceedings and outcome of the treaty than Italy or Japan.
The victorious great powers also gained an acknowledgment of their status
through
permanent seats
at the
League of Nations Council,
where they acted as a type of executive body directing the Assembly of the League. But the Council began with only four permanent members
– Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan –
because the
United States, meant to be the fifth permanent member,
left because
the
US Senate voted on 19 March 1920 against the ratification
of the
Treaty of Versailles, thus
preventing
American participation in the League.
When World War II started in 1939,
it divided the world into two alliances
– the Allies
(Great Britain and France at first, followed in 1941 by the Soviet Union, the United States, and China);
and the
Axis powers consisting of Germany and the former Allies Italy and Japan.
The end
of
World War II saw the United States,
United Kingdom, and Soviet Union emerge as the primary victors.
The importance of the
Republic of China and France was acknowledged by their inclusion,
along with the other three,
in the group of countries allotted permanent seats
in the
United Nations Security Council.
Power dimension
Leopold Von Ranke was one of the first to attempt to scientifically document the great powers.
As noted above, for many, power capabilities were the sole criterion. However, even under the more expansive tests power retains a vital place.
This aspect has received mixed treatment, with some confusion as to the degree of power required.
Writers have approached the concept of great power with differing conceptualizations of the world situation, from multi-polarity to overwhelming hegemony. In his essay, 'French Diplomacy in the Postwar Period',
the
French historian Jean-Baptiste Duroselle spoke of the concept of multi-polarity:
"A Great power is one which is capable of preserving its own independence against any other single power."
This differed from earlier writers,
notably
from
Leopold von Ranke,
who clearly had a different idea of the world situation.
In his essay
'The Great Powers', "
written in
1833,
von Ranke
wrote:
"If one could establish as a definition of a Great power that it must be able to maintain itself against all others, even when they are united, then Frederick has raised Prussia to that position."
These positions have been
the
subject of criticism.
For Duroselle's definition to result in more than one great power,
major world powers must be equal in power—each able to resist one another.
This fails to take into account
the
general state of international relations
in
which
amongst
great powers there are nations
which
are
stronger than others.
Great power
This article is about great powers in the modern (post-1815) world.
For nation-states wielding similar power before 1815,
see
Historical powers.
Great powers are recognized in an international structure such as the United Nations Security Council.
Shown here is the Security Council Chamber.
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale.
Great powers characteristically possess economic, military, diplomatic, and cultural strength,
which may cause other smaller nations to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions of their own.
International relations theorists have posited that great power status can be characterized
into
power capabilities, spatial aspects, and status dimensions.
Sometimes the status of great powers is formally recognized in conferences such as the
Congress of Vienna
or
an international structure
such
as the
United Nations Security Council.
The term
"great power"
was first used to represent the most important powers in Europe during the post-Napoleonic era.
Since then,
the international balance of power has shifted numerous times,
most dramatically
during
World War I and World War II.
While some nations are widely considered to be great powers,
there is no definitive list,
leading to a continuing debate.
This article is about great powers in the modern (post-1815) world.
For nation-states wielding similar power before 1815,
see
Historical powers.
Great powers are recognized in an international structure such as the United Nations Security Council.
Shown here is the Security Council Chamber.
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale.
Great powers characteristically possess economic, military, diplomatic, and cultural strength,
which may cause other smaller nations to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions of their own.
International relations theorists have posited that great power status can be characterized
into
power capabilities, spatial aspects, and status dimensions.
Sometimes the status of great powers is formally recognized in conferences such as the
Congress of Vienna
or
an international structure
such
as the
United Nations Security Council.
The term
"great power"
was first used to represent the most important powers in Europe during the post-Napoleonic era.
Since then,
the international balance of power has shifted numerous times,
most dramatically
during
World War I and World War II.
While some nations are widely considered to be great powers,
there is no definitive list,
leading to a continuing debate.
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