Great powers, superpowers and emerging powers | Edexcel A-Level Politics
Updated: Sep 29
For Specification 9PL0
Edexcel A-Level Politics | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time:Â 60 minutes
This Great powers, superpowers and emerging powers A-Level Politics revision page explains how and why states are classified according to their international power and influence. You need to distinguish a great power from a superpower and an emerging power, examine why the USA is classified as a superpower, and understand the rise of the BRICS states named by Edexcel. These classifications build directly on different forms of state influence [Hard and soft power] and prepare you to analyse the changing distribution of global power [Polarity and world order].
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Define great power, superpower and emerging power accurately.
Explain why states are placed into different classifications of power.
Compare the characteristics and international influence of great powers and superpowers.
Explain why the USA can be classified as a superpower.
Examine BRICS as an example of emerging powers.
Assess how the significance of different states is changing in global affairs.
Revision Notes đź“š
Great powers, superpowers and emerging powers A-Level Politics revision: the three classifications
The Edexcel specification requires you to understand the differing significance of states in global affairs and how and why state power is classified.
The three required classifications are:
great powers
superpowers, including the USA
emerging powers, including BRICS.
For Edexcel 9PL0, the specification names BRICS as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This revision page follows that specification wording.
The classifications are not simply labels for whether a state is "powerful". They describe differences in the scale, reach and development of state influence.
Classification | Edexcel definition | Central idea |
Great power | A state recognised as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. | Significant international influence |
Superpower | A state with a dominant position in international relations, pre-eminent among great powers, with an unparalleled ability to exert influence or project power globally. | Exceptional and dominant global reach |
Emerging power | A state considered to be rising, primarily in economic power and influence. | Increasing rather than established dominance |
These definitions are central to the topic.
The classifications also connect closely to military, economic, diplomatic and cultural influence [Hard and soft power]. A state should not be classified solely from one indicator. Its overall capacity to influence global affairs matters.
Great powers
A great power is a state recognised as possessing sufficient ability and expertise to exercise influence on a global scale.
Great powers therefore possess substantial political importance, but their influence is not necessarily as dominant or comprehensive as that of a superpower.
Pearson's 2025 examiner material identified several characteristics commonly used when assessing great powers:
a large and strong economy
significant military capability
influence beyond the state's immediate borders
an important role in international or regional organisations
substantial influence, often with greater limitations than that possessed by a superpower.
Global influence does not automatically mean superpower status
This distinction is important.
A great power may be capable of affecting events outside its own geographical region, but a superpower possesses a much greater ability to project its influence globally.
The difference is therefore partly one of scale.
A useful comparison is:
A great power has significant international influence. A superpower has such extensive influence that its interests and actions can affect political calculations across the international system.
The 2025 mark scheme emphasised this distinction between the more limited reach associated with great powers and the genuinely global power projection associated with superpowers.
What makes a superpower different?
A superpower is more than a particularly successful great power.
According to the Edexcel definition, it must possess:
a dominant position in international relations
a position pre-eminent among great powers
an unparalleled ability to exert influence
the ability to project power globally.
This means that you should consider several dimensions of power together.
Military capacity
Superpower status requires the ability to exercise substantial military influence beyond the state's immediate region.
The 2025 examiner report highlighted global military reach as an important distinguishing feature of superpowers. It also noted nuclear capability as one factor used effectively by candidates when explaining the distinction.
Military power matters because a state that cannot project power beyond a limited geographical area will struggle to meet Edexcel's definition of a state with an unparalleled capacity for global influence.
Economic capacity
Economic strength allows states to influence:
international trade
other states' economic choices
global economic institutions
economic relationships between states.
Economic strength is therefore an important foundation of both great-power and superpower influence.
However, a large economy alone is insufficient. A superpower must combine economic strength with other forms of global influence.
Diplomatic and institutional influence
Superpowers can also exercise influence through important international organisations.
The USA's involvement in bodies such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Group of Seven (G7), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank has been used by Pearson mark schemes as evidence of its unusually broad international influence.
Understanding these organisations in more depth links this topic to political global governance [The United Nations] and economic global governance [The IMF and World Bank].
Cultural influence
Superpower influence is not limited to hard power.
The USA's films, music, technological brands and other aspects of popular culture have been used in Edexcel mark schemes as examples of significant international cultural influence.
This matters because a state able to exercise both hard and soft power has more routes through which to shape the behaviour and preferences of other political actors.
Great powers compared with superpowers
Feature | Great power | Superpower |
International influence | Significant | Dominant and exceptional |
Geographical reach | Can influence events internationally but may face geographical limitations | Able to project power globally |
Military power | Significant capability | Very extensive capability and global reach |
Economic strength | Major economic importance | Exceptional economic influence alongside other forms of power |
Influence over other states | Important | Capable of shaping calculations across the global system |
Soft power | May possess significant attraction and diplomatic influence | Extensive international cultural and diplomatic influence |
Overall position | One of the world's important states | Pre-eminent among great powers |
⚠️ The difference is not simply that one has "more money" or "a bigger military". You need to explain how the combination of different forms of power produces a difference in global reach and influence.
The USA as a superpower
The Edexcel specification explicitly requires the USAÂ as an example of a superpower.
To explain this successfully, apply the definition of superpower directly to the evidence.
US economic power
Pearson's 2025 mark scheme used the enormous size of the US economy as evidence supporting continued US dominance. It cited an International Monetary Fund estimate of approximately $25 trillion for US GDP in 2023.
The importance of this example is not simply the number.
The analytical point is:
large economic resources → substantial economic leverage → greater capacity to influence international relationships → evidence of superpower status.
The same mark scheme also identified the importance of:
major US-based transnational corporations
the importance of the US dollar in international trade
US influence over the dominant global economic model.
These strengthen the argument that US economic influence extends far beyond its domestic economy.
US military power
Military capability provides another major basis of US superpower status.
Pearson's 2025 mark scheme used an International Institute for Strategic Studies estimate of $738 billion in US military expenditure in 2022Â and highlighted the USA's aircraft-carrier capability, technological sophistication and capacity for worldwide military reach.
For an exam answer, the chain of reasoning matters more than memorising the figure:
large military resources → capacity to operate far beyond US territory → global rather than merely regional power projection → supports superpower classification.
This is an important link with military hard power [Hard and soft power].
US influence through international institutions
The USA's international significance is strengthened by its participation in major organisations.
Examples identified in Pearson materials include:
permanent membership of the UN Security Council
membership of the G7
significant influence within the IMF
significant influence within the World Bank.
This gives the USA opportunities to influence decisions affecting international security and the global economy.
A superpower therefore does not need to rely solely on direct military or economic coercion. Its international position can also provide influence through institutions.
US cultural and soft power
The USA also possesses substantial soft power.
Pearson materials identify internationally recognisable:
films
music
technological brands
other elements of US popular culture.
These can create attraction and influence without direct coercion.
The breadth of US power is therefore important:
economic + military + diplomatic + cultural influence = a particularly strong basis for superpower status.
This is stronger analysis than simply stating that "the USA is powerful".
Is the USA's superpower position unchallenged?
The USA remains the specification's required example of a superpower, but Edexcel also requires you to consider the changing significance of states.
Pearson's 2025 mark scheme presented both sides of this debate.
Evidence supporting continued US dominance included:
exceptional economic strength
very extensive military capability
major influence within international organisations
globally recognisable cultural influence.
However, it also identified the rise of China and India, growing Chinese military expenditure, Russian military assertiveness and the increasing importance of decision-making involving several states as challenges to an entirely US-dominated global order.
This debate is developed further in changing patterns of global power [Polarity and world order].
Emerging powers
An emerging power is a state that is rising, primarily in economic power and influence.
The word rising is crucial.
An emerging power:
has become more significant
possesses growing economic influence
may be increasing its wider political or military importance
is not automatically equal to an established superpower.
This classification therefore focuses partly on change over time.
A state may become much more influential without yet possessing the genuinely global, dominant position required for superpower status.
BRICS as emerging powers
The Edexcel specification requires students to study the emerging powers of BRICS:
Brazil
Russia
India
China
South Africa.
For this course, learn these five states exactly as named by the 9PL0 specification.
The important point is not that every BRICS state possesses identical power. Pearson's 2019 mark scheme explicitly recognised that these states can be at different stages of development and possess different levels of potential.
BRICS should therefore not be treated as five interchangeable states.
They are grouped within this part of the specification because they illustrate the growth of states whose economic and international significance challenges older patterns of power.
Why emerging powers have become more significant
Pearson's 2019 material concentrated particularly on China and India when explaining the rise of emerging powers.
Several factors were identified.
Economic growth
Economic development is the central feature because the specification defines an emerging power primarily through its rising economic power and influence.
Pearson's 2019 mark scheme highlighted major economic growth in China and India, supported by free trade and export-led economic development.
Economic growth can increase state power because it provides:
greater resources
stronger domestic markets
increased international trade
greater capacity to invest in other dimensions of national power.
This creates a relationship between economic globalisation and rising state influence [The process of globalisation].
Population and domestic markets
The 2019 mark scheme also highlighted the very large populations of China and India and the growth of wealth and spending power within these states.
Large and increasingly wealthy populations can contribute to:
substantial domestic markets
economic expansion
investment
the growth of major businesses.
Pearson's mark scheme identified stronger internal markets, infrastructure investment and the development of transnational corporations as evidence of emerging status.
The key point is that population itself does not automatically create international power. Its significance lies in the way it can contribute to economic resources and influence.
Increasing international influence
As states become economically stronger, their role in global politics may also expand.
Pearson's 2019 mark scheme noted:
the increased role of China and India in international organisations and conferences
their membership of the G20
their growing involvement in debates about global issues.
This produces an important chain of reasoning:
economic growth → increased resources and international importance → greater participation in global decision-making → increased state significance.
Military development
Emerging economic power can also support greater military capability.
The 2019 examiner report praised stronger responses that moved beyond economics and considered the military development of China and India.
More recent Pearson material also used increased Chinese military expenditure and Russian military power as evidence that power is distributed among a wider range of states than immediately after the Cold War.
Military capability therefore strengthens the international significance of some emerging powers, although the specification's definition of an emerging power remains focused primarily on rising economic power and influence.
Cultural and diplomatic influence
Economic growth can be accompanied by growing soft power.
The 2019 examiner report highlighted stronger responses that considered:
China's developing cultural influence
increasing international investment
broader international engagement.
The report specifically praised students who recognised that emerging-power status involved a range of factors, rather than economic statistics alone.
This reinforces something learned in Hard and soft power [Hard and soft power]: state influence can be multidimensional.
China and India as key examples of emerging power
Pearson's 2019 examination directly assessed why China and India could be described as emerging powers.
The strongest responses considered both countries and connected several forms of growing influence.
Factor | Why it supports emerging-power status |
Economic growth | Increases resources and international economic importance |
Large domestic markets | Creates substantial internal demand and spending power |
Globalisation | Provides opportunities for trade and international economic integration |
International organisations | Gives growing states greater opportunities to influence international decision-making |
Military capability | Adds hard-power significance to expanding economic strength |
Cultural influence | Extends international attraction and presence |
The examiner report particularly praised responses that brought several of these factors together.
BRICS are not all the same
This is an important evaluation point.
The classification emerging power does not mean:
every BRICS state has the same capabilities.
Nor does it mean:
every BRICS state will inevitably become a superpower.
Pearson's mark scheme recognised different stages of development and different levels of potential among the states grouped together as emerging powers.
Therefore, avoid making sweeping statements such as "BRICS are now as powerful as the USA".
A more accurate argument is:
The rise of BRICS demonstrates that global influence is distributed across a broader range of states, although the scale and forms of power possessed by individual members vary considerably.
The changing significance of states in global affairs
The specification does not simply require you to memorise three definitions. It asks you to understand the differing significance of states in global affairs.
This means asking two related questions:
Which states are becoming more or less influential?
What does this tell us about the distribution of power internationally?
The rise of emerging powers
The growth of China, India and other emerging states challenges older concentrations of international power.
Pearson's 2019 material argued that globalisation had created new opportunities for states such as the BRICS to grow economically and participate more extensively in global politics.
This means that the significance of states is dynamic rather than fixed.
An emerging power today may possess much greater international influence than it did previously.
This links closely to debates about globalisation's impact on states [Globalisation and the state system].
A challenge to US dominance
The rise of emerging powers can reduce the relative dominance of the USA even if the USA itself remains extremely powerful.
This distinction matters.
Suppose:
State A retains enormous economic and military capabilities.
States B and C grow much faster and acquire greater international influence.
State A has not necessarily become weak.
Instead, its relative advantage may have decreased.
Pearson's 2025 material uses the rise of China and India as evidence against the idea of an entirely US-dominated world.
International organisations can reflect changing state power
The changing significance of states can also be seen through international organisations.
The growth of bodies involving a wider range of significant states allows emerging powers greater opportunities to participate in international decision-making.
Pearson material points to:
the G20
the UN Security Council
the IMF and World Bank
other global institutions
when discussing how the distribution of international influence can change.
This means that economic growth can be translated into greater diplomatic and political influence.
States remain highly significant
The rise of international and regional organisations does not mean that states have ceased to matter.
Pearson's 2023 mark scheme identified several reasons states retain major significance:
states remain central members of international organisations
many states possess major military capabilities
states can make sovereign decisions
states such as China and India have achieved substantial economic growth.
The continuing importance of state power becomes particularly clear when studying realist and liberal interpretations of global politics [Realism and liberalism compared].
But states may gain influence collectively
States can also increase their significance by acting through international or regional organisations.
Pearson's 2023 material recognised that organisations can:
represent larger populations and geographical areas
increase economic significance
help members exercise influence collectively
provide opportunities for states to strengthen their global position.
This creates an important evaluation:
Participation in international organisations does not necessarily replace state power. It can also become a way through which states exercise power.
Overall assessment of changing state significance
There are therefore two processes occurring simultaneously.
States are changing in relative importance
Some established powers face greater competition.
Emerging powers are becoming increasingly significant.
Economic growth can support greater military, diplomatic and cultural influence.
A wider range of states can influence international decision-making.
Established powers remain highly influential
The USA retains exceptional economic, military, diplomatic and cultural reach.
Existing powerful states continue to occupy influential positions in major global institutions.
The rise of emerging states does not automatically remove the advantages possessed by existing great powers and superpowers.
A strong overall judgement is therefore:
The significance of individual states is changing more clearly than the significance of the state itself. Emerging powers have reduced the relative dominance of established powers, but powerful states remain central actors in global affairs.
The implications of this changing balance are explored directly in unipolar, bipolar and multipolar world order [Polarity and world order].
How to classify a state in an exam
When asked whether a state is a great power, superpower or emerging power, avoid simply listing facts.
Use a five-stage approach:
Define the classification.
Start with the Edexcel definition.
Identify relevant forms of power.
Consider economic, military, diplomatic and cultural influence.
Consider geographical reach.
Is influence regional, international or genuinely global?
Compare with other states.
Superpower is a relative classification. "Pre-eminent among great powers" requires comparison.
Reach a judgement.
Explain why the evidence is sufficient, or insufficient, for the classification.
For example:
The USA's large economy alone does not establish superpower status. Its economic resources combine with extensive military reach, significant influence in international institutions and global cultural influence. This breadth and worldwide power projection more closely satisfies Edexcel's definition of a superpower.
That is much stronger than:
The USA is a superpower because it has a big economy.
Key Words 🔑
Key word | Student-friendly definition | How it may be used in an exam |
Great power | A state recognised as having the ability and expertise to exert influence on a global scale. | Use when explaining states with substantial international influence that does not necessarily match a superpower's exceptional global dominance. |
Superpower | A state dominant in international relations, pre-eminent among great powers and able to project unparalleled influence globally. | Apply to the USA and compare its economic, military, diplomatic and cultural reach with other states. |
Emerging power | A state whose power and influence are rising, primarily economically. | Use when explaining the increasing international significance of BRICS. |
Hard power | The use of military and economic means to influence other political bodies. | Use when assessing the military and economic foundations of state classifications. |
Soft power | Influence achieved through attraction and shaping the preferences of others. | Use when explaining the diplomatic and cultural dimensions of international state influence. |
Hints from the Examiner Reports đź’ˇ
Examiner hint:Â Know the difference between a great power and a superpower precisely. The 2025 report found that weaker responses sometimes confused the two classifications and attributed characteristics to the wrong category. Strong responses made the contrast in global reach and influence clear.
Examiner hint:Â Compare directly rather than writing two separate descriptions. A full-mark 2025 response compared economic influence, military reach and influence through international organisations throughout the answer. Accurate knowledge was used specifically to support comparative analysis.
Examiner hint:Â When discussing emerging powers, do not rely on economics alone. In 2019, stronger candidates considered economic development alongside military capability, cultural influence and growing influence within international organisations.
Examiner hint:Â Cover the states required by the question. The 2019 mark scheme restricted responses that considered only one of China and India. The examiner report noted that weaker responses were especially likely to concentrate almost entirely on China.
Examiner hint:Â Support claims with well-chosen examples. The 2025 report specifically advised candidates to support assertions with real-world examples and praised stronger responses for using appropriate contemporary material.
Examiner hint:Â In 30-mark questions, AO3 evaluation should run throughout the essay. The 2025 report advises students to make sustained judgements rather than adding evaluation only as an afterthought in the conclusion.
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Treating great power and superpower as synonyms
Why this is incorrect: A superpower is pre-eminent among great powers and possesses an unparalleled capacity for global power projection. The classifications therefore indicate different levels of influence.
How to improve: Make global reach the centre of your comparison. Ask whether the state has significant international influence or genuinely exceptional worldwide influence.
Mistake: Classifying a state from one statistic
Why this is incorrect: A large economy or military demonstrates one form of power but does not, by itself, establish overall superpower status.
How to improve: Use several criteria, particularly economic, military, diplomatic and cultural influence.
Mistake: Assuming an emerging power is already a superpower
Why this is incorrect: An emerging power is defined by its rise, primarily in economic power and influence. It does not necessarily possess the dominant worldwide position required of a superpower.
How to improve: Distinguish growing influence from established global pre-eminence.
Mistake: Treating every BRICS state as identical
Why this is incorrect: Pearson material recognises that the states grouped as emerging powers are at different stages and possess different levels of potential.
How to improve: Use BRICS as a classification while recognising variation between individual states.
Mistake: Forgetting the BRICS definition required by the specification
Why this is incorrect: For Edexcel 9PL0, the specification explicitly identifies BRICS as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
How to improve: Use the specification's five named states when revising and answering questions for this course.
Mistake: Writing only about China when discussing emerging powers
Why this is incorrect: The specification requires BRICS, and examiner evidence shows that overly narrow answers can limit the breadth of analysis.
How to improve: Develop arguments around common reasons for emerging-power status and use more than one relevant state where the question requires comparison.
Mistake: Assuming the rise of China means the USA is no longer powerful
Why this is incorrect: Power is relative. Another state's rise can reduce US dominance without eliminating US economic, military, diplomatic or cultural influence.
How to improve: Evaluate relative change. Explain both the growth of challengers and the power retained by established states.
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Question 1
Define an emerging power. (2 marks)
Answer:
A state considered to be rising, primarily in economic power and influence.
Award credit for both the idea of rising power and the focus on economic power/influence.
Question 2
Explain one difference between a great power and a superpower. (4 marks)
Indicative answer:
A great power possesses the ability and expertise to exert international influence, whereas a superpower occupies a dominant position and possesses an unparalleled ability to project power globally. The difference is therefore partly the scale and reach of influence, with a superpower capable of affecting political calculations across the global system.
Question 3
State X possesses a large economy and strong armed forces. It has considerable influence in its surrounding region and participates in several international organisations. However, its military, economic and cultural influence is substantially more limited outside its region than that of State Y, which can project power globally.
Explain why State X may be classified as a great power rather than a superpower. (6 marks)
Indicative answer:
State X possesses important characteristics of a great power, including economic strength, military capability and international influence. However, State Y more closely satisfies the definition of a superpower because its influence can be projected globally. State X's more restricted reach means that it lacks the exceptional worldwide influence required for superpower status.
Question 4
Examine why a state may be classified as a superpower rather than a great power. (12 marks)
Indicative mark scheme:
Relevant knowledge could include:
a superpower's dominant position in international relations
its pre-eminence among great powers
unparalleled global power projection
very extensive military capability
exceptional economic influence
extensive diplomatic and cultural influence
the ability to affect events across several regions rather than primarily within one sphere.
Analysis should directly contrast the two classifications.
A strong response might argue that:
both categories involve significant international influence
the fundamental difference is the breadth and scale of that influence
global military reach distinguishes superpowers from states whose influence is more restricted
economic strength becomes particularly significant when combined with diplomatic, military and cultural influence
a superpower's global reach makes its interests relevant to the calculations of many other states.
For the highest level, comparisons should be made consistently rather than describing each classification separately.
Question 5
Examine the factors that explain why BRICS can be classified as emerging powers. (12 marks)
Indicative mark scheme:
Relevant knowledge could include:
Edexcel's classification of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as BRICS emerging powers
emerging powers are rising primarily in economic power and influence
opportunities generated through globalisation
economic development
large and increasingly important domestic markets in cases such as China and India
increasing participation in international organisations
developing military and soft-power influence in some states
differences between individual BRICS states in their levels and forms of power.
Analysis should explain how these developments increase international significance rather than merely listing them.
For example:
economic growth → greater national resources → greater capacity for international trade and influence → stronger claim to emerging-power status.
Question 6
Examine why the USA can be classified as a superpower. (12 marks)
Indicative mark scheme:
Relevant arguments could examine:
very substantial economic resources
worldwide military reach
ability to project hard power globally
permanent membership of the UN Security Council
influence in major economic institutions
membership of the G7
extensive cultural and soft-power influence.
Analysis should connect evidence directly to the definition of a superpower.
For example:
Extensive military capability is significant because superpower status requires global power projection. The USA's capacity to operate beyond its own region therefore distinguishes it from states whose military influence is geographically more restricted.
Question 7
Evaluate the view that the rise of emerging powers has significantly reduced the global dominance of the USA. (30 marks)
Indicative mark scheme:
Arguments supporting the view may include:
major economic growth in China and India
growing Chinese military capability
increasing Russian military significance
greater representation of non-Western states in global decision-making
the increasing importance of organisations involving emerging powers
the possibility that a wider distribution of economic, military and political influence has weakened US relative dominance.
Arguments challenging the view may include:
the USA retains exceptional economic strength
US military reach remains unusually extensive
the USA occupies influential positions in major global institutions
US cultural influence remains global
emerging powers vary considerably in their capabilities
rising states do not automatically possess the broad and unparalleled power required to equal a superpower.
AO1:Â Accurate knowledge of the USA, emerging powers and state-power classifications.
AO2:Â Analysis explaining how changes in different forms of power alter the relative significance of states.
AO3:Â Sustained judgement about whether emerging powers have genuinely reduced US dominance and to what extent.
Possible overall judgement: The rise of emerging powers has substantially reduced the relative concentration of international influence in the USA, particularly economically and politically. However, the USA's combination of economic, military, diplomatic and cultural reach means that reduced dominance should not be confused with the disappearance of US superpower status.
Question 8
Evaluate the view that states are becoming less significant in global affairs. (30 marks)
Indicative mark scheme:
Arguments supporting the view may include:
globalisation challenges traditional state control
international organisations increasingly influence global decision-making
regional organisations allow decisions to be taken collectively
global problems require co-operation between states
states may have to accept international rules and agreements.
Arguments challenging the view may include:
states remain the principal members of many major international organisations
military capability remains largely controlled by states
states retain substantial economic resources and sovereign decision-making powers
the rise of China, India and other emerging states demonstrates increasing rather than declining state influence
powerful states can use international organisations to enhance their influence.
AO1:Â Accurate knowledge of changing state significance and classifications of power.
AO2:Â Analysis of how globalisation and international co-operation may both constrain and enhance state power.
AO3: Evaluation of whether it is the state itself that is declining or simply the relative importance of particular states that is changing.
Possible overall judgement: The evidence is stronger for a redistribution of power between states than for a straightforward disappearance of state significance. Established powers face new competitors and increasingly operate through international institutions, but states remain central holders of economic, military and political power in global affairs.
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