On May Thirtieth 1925 in Shanghai, a group of Municipal police officers under the command of a British Inspector fired upon a crowd of Chinese students and pedestrians killing twelve and wounding numerous others. This thesis is an examination of the May Thirtieth Incident; but it is also an examination of the background to the Incident and its resulting aftermath. Foreign interest and action in China played an important role in the background to the May Thirtieth Incident as did nationalist and anti-foreign propaganda and agitation. It was, however, domestic issues and events in Shanghai that led directly to the student demonstrations on May 30th. Once the Incident occurred, nationalist and anti-foreign sentiments again became quite important as did the role and influence of the CCP. There ensued in Shanghai and other centers further agitation, strikes, and general boycotts against foreign interests in China. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate