Context
Two dates: 1912 and 1945
The play is set in 1912 but was written in 1945 and first performed that year, in Moscow. The gap matters.
In 1912 Britain was a rich, powerful country with huge gaps between rich and poor. Wealthy people like the Birlings felt confident and secure, just before the .
By 1945 the audience had lived through two world wars and the hard years between them. They knew what Mr Birling could not: the Titanic sank in April 1912, and war did come.
Setting the play in the past lets Priestley create and ask his audience a question: now that the old world is gone, will you build a fairer one?
Key terms
Priestley's socialism
J.B. Priestley was born in Bradford in 1894 and fought in the First World War, where he saw men of every class suffer together. He became a : he believed wealth should be shared more fairly, and that society should take care of everyone.
During the Second World War his radio talks were hugely popular, and he used them to argue for a fairer Britain after the war.
In the play, the Inspector speaks for these ideas, while Mr Birling stands for : every man for himself, with profit first. The play is designed so the audience sides with the Inspector.
Key terms
The 1945 election and the welfare state
In July 1945, weeks after the war in Europe ended, Britain held a general election. The Labour party won a landslide, promising to rebuild the country around fairness and shared responsibility.
Over the next few years the new government created the : the in 1948, and benefits for people who were ill, out of work or old. These were the kinds of safety nets Eva Smith never had.
The first audiences were living through this change. The Inspector's message, that ‘We are responsible for each other’ (Act 3), matched the mood of a country deciding what kind of society it wanted to be.
Key terms
Working people and women in 1912
Workers in 1912 had little security. Wages were low, there was no sick pay for most, and a worker sacked for striking could easily end up with nothing. Strikes were common in these years as workers demanded better pay.
Women could not vote. Working-class women like Eva had few jobs open to them, mostly in factories, shops or service, and an unmarried mother faced shame and poverty.
Charities often decided who was ‘deserving’ of help, judging the poor by their morals. That is exactly what Mrs Birling does to Eva.
Remember
Use context to explain meaning. Instead of a paragraph of facts, link each point to what Priestley wanted his 1945 audience to think.