CONTEXT

• An Inspector Calls was written by J.B. Priestley in 1945.
• Whilst the play was written in 1945, the play is set in 1912, allowing Priestley to create some major dramatic irony. It was set before both world wars and when the British Empire was still strong internationally.
• The play is about a middle class Edwardian family, and there was a major class divide in the early 1900s. It was thought that the classes should not mix.
• Pregnancy outside of marriage was profoundly frowned upon in the early 20th century, especially between the classes.
• In 1912, there was a Liberal government in power, who were socialist. 

  Suffragettes were calling for votes for women, and after a national strike, they received minimum wages, which means they could not be paid under a certain amount. Employers at the time did not take trade unions seriously, even though they had more power to negotiate than unorganised workers.
•  The strike led by Eva Smith was not by a trade union, and therefore was unlikely to succeed. Women were paid less to do the same or similar job. There was also no job security for people like Eva Smith, and if they were dismissed without any good references, it meant it was that much harder to get work. Also, there were no benefits or unemployment pay, so lots of people went hungry.
• When An Inspector Calls was written, the post-WW2 economy was devastating. There was immense loss, and widespread destruction. The war led to greater awareness of social inequalities and a desire for change. In 1945, the Labour government won by a landslide. They then created the welfare state, which included the NHS, in 1948.