<P> An example of spheres of influence was China in the late 19th and early 20th Century , when Britain , France , Germany , and Russia ( later replaced by Japan ) had de facto control over large swaths of territory . These were taken by unequal treaties or as very long term `` leases '' . These powers ( and the United States ) might have their own courts , post offices , commercial institutions , railroads , and gunboats in what was on paper Chinese territory . However , the foreign powers and their influence in some cases could have been exaggerated . The system ended with the Second World War . </P>
<P> An example of spheres of influence was China in the late 19th and early 20th Century , when Britain , France , Germany , and Russia ( later replaced by Japan ) had de facto control over large swaths of territory . These were taken by unequal treaties or as very long term `` leases '' . These powers ( and the United States ) might have their own courts , post offices , commercial institutions , railroads , and gunboats in what was on paper Chinese territory . However , the foreign powers and their influence in some cases could have been exaggerated . The system ended with the Second World War . </P>
when was china divided into spheres of influence
when was china divided into spheres of influence
in the late 19th and early 20th Century
in the late 19th and early 20th Century