Britain's Imperial Retreat from China, 1919-31
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 262
ISBN-13: 9781138909847
Subjects: Imperialism; Public opinion, great britain; Nationalism, china; Great britain, foreign relations, china; China, foreign relations, great britain; China, foreign public opinion; Great britain, foreign relations, 20th century; China, history, 20th century
Description: "Britain's relationship with China in the nineteenth and early twentieth century is often viewed in terms of gunboat diplomacy, unequal treaties, and the unrelenting pursuit of Britain's own commercial interests. This book, however, based on extensive original research, demonstrates that in Britain, after the First World War, a combination of liberal, Labour party, pacifist, missionary and some business opinion began to argue for imperial retreat from China, and that this movement gathered sufficient momentum for a sympathetic attitude to Chinese demands becoming official Foreign Office policy in 1926. The book considers the various strands of this movement, relates developments in Britain to the changing situation in China, especially the rise of nationalism and the Guomindang, and argues that, contrary to what many people think, the reassertion of China's national rights was begun successfully in this period rather than after the Communist takeover in 1949"--Provided by publisher.