Routledge Britain's Imperial Retreat from China, 1900-1931

Explore a new perspective on British-Chinese relations through this scholarly work from the Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia series. While history often focuses on gunboat diplomacy and unequal treaties driven by commercial interests, this book provides a different view based on extensive original research. It examines how, following the First World War, a diverse group of voices in Britain began to push for an imperial retreat from China. By looking at the influence of the Labour Party, liberal thinkers, pacifists, missionaries, and even certain business sectors, the text tracks how this movement gained enough momentum to change official Foreign Office policy. This book is a detailed study of the shifting attitudes that led to a more sympathetic response to Chinese demands during a transformative era in global history.