The correct answer to this open question is the following.
In a protectorate, local rulers governed but western powers were in actual control.
The protectorate is a country that lives under the protection of a larger or most powerful country. Like the case of Puerto Rico, which is a protectorate of the United States. The powerful country thinks that the protectorate is a weaker country that needs protection and help to prosper. The larger country it is not the owner of the protectorate. But it helps the protectorate in case of need.
