ABSTRACT
British policymakers decided to take the first major steps of imperial retreat as a result of unexpected Chinese initiatives. The main consideration is how residual and reactive representations of the Chinese worked together in effecting the first major steps of imperial retreat. This chapter explains the events of 30 May 1925, which sparked a flurry of commentary. Focusing mostly on commentary published at home - on what policymakers were likely to have read or been aware of - the chapter discusses the impact of those ideas on the government's decisions. To address the problems of the domestic economy, policymakers needed to protect Britain's world markets. In parliament, Labour politicians roundly accused the British in China of sparking the May 30th Movement. Industrial unrest had been one of the causes of the movement and the accompanying anti-British boycott and Labour addressed the issue with its usual fervour.
