Great Powers, The
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Great Powers, The
a term used to designate the strongest states that play a leading role in the international arena. After World War II (1939-45) the permanent members of the UN Security Council—the USSR, the USA, Great Britain, France and China—are considered to be the great powers. (China’s seat on the Security Council was illegally held by a representative of the Chiang Kai-shek government up to October 1971.)
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.