Have you ever played a game where everyone starts equal, but then some players get really good and really powerful? That's kind of like what happened in history with countries.
A long time ago, all the countries were kind of the same. But over time, some countries got really good at doing things like trading, making things, and having strong armies. These countries got more powerful and became known as the "great powers".
It's kind of like being really good at a video game. If you keep playing and getting better, you can become really powerful and hard to beat.
The great powers were able to use their power to do things like conquer other countries, make deals with other powerful countries, and protect their own interests.
But just like in a video game, being powerful doesn't always last forever. Sometimes, other countries can become powerful and challenge the great powers. It's a constant cycle of power shifting and changing.
So, to sum it up, the rise of the great powers means that some countries became really powerful and influential in the world, kind of like a player becoming really good at a game.