Great powerA great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power influence, which may cause middle or small powers to consider the great powers' opinions 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.
DecolonizationDecolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence movements in the colonies and the collapse of global colonial empires. Other scholars extend the meaning to include economic, cultural and psychological aspects of the colonial experience.
Polarity (international relations)Polarity in international relations is any of the various ways in which power is distributed within the international system. It describes the nature of the international system at any given period of time. One generally distinguishes three types of systems: unipolarity, bipolarity, and multipolarity for three or more centers of power. The type of system is completely dependent on the distribution of power and influence of states in a region or globally.
Seven Years' WarInfobox military conflict | conflict = Seven Years' War | partof = the Anglo-French Wars and the Austria–Prussia rivalry | image = Seven Years' War Collage.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = Clockwise from top left: | date = () | place = Europe, North America, West Indies, South America, West Africa, India, Philippines | result = Anglo-Prussian coalition victory Status quo ante bellum in Europe Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1762) Treaty of Hamburg (1762) Treaty of Paris (1763) Treaty of Hubertusburg (1763) | territory = ** No territorial changes in Europe Transfer of colonial possessions among Great Britain, France, Portugal, and Spain France and Spain return conquered colonial territory to Great Britain and Portugal France cedes its North American possessions east of the Mississippi River, Canada, the islands of St.
Colonial empireA colonial empire is a collective of territories (often called colonies), either contiguous with the imperial center or located overseas, settled by the population of a certain state and governed by that state. Before the expansion of early modern European powers, other empires had conquered and colonized territories, such as the Roman Empire in Iberia, or the Chinese in what is now South China. Modern colonial empires first emerged with a race of exploration between the then most advanced European maritime powers, Portugal and Spain, during the 15th century.
HegemonyHegemony (hɪˈdʒɛməni, hɪˈɡɛməni, ˈhɛdʒəmoʊni) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. Hegemony can be regional or global. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the hegemon city-state over other city-states. In the 19th century, hegemony denoted the "social or cultural predominance or ascendancy; predominance by one group within a society or milieu" and "a group or regime which exerts undue influence within a society".
