The harlot's influence was extensive. Her influence over the kings of the earth, she holds sway over a large portion of the earth’s population. The description of her as one “who sits on many waters” (Revelation 17:1) is later explained: “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (verse 15). In verse 2 she is further described as making the inhabitants of the earth “drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
So they may not have given their power to the harlot, but she did have great influence on them.