Capitalism vs Socialism

• Capitalism versus socialism in Act 1 and summary:

  “For lower costs and higher prices”– Mr Birling, Mr Birling’s business strategy is pure capitalist greed: he wants to charge lots and pay little.
• Capitalism versus socialism in Act 1 and summary: “She sails next week … unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable” – Mr Birling, Mr Birling’s comments about the Titanic reflects the blind faith of his generation in capitalism.
• Capitalism versus socialism in Act 1 and summary: “... it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it” – Inspector Goole, The Inspector uses Mr Birling’s own words against him to highlight his selfishness.
• Capitalism versus socialism in Act 2 and summary:

  “I wasn’t satisfied with the girl’s claim – she seemed to me to be not a good case” – Mrs Birling, Mrs Birling equates money with one’s “claim”, as though money only belongs to the deserving.
• Capitalism versus socialism in Act 3 and summary:

  “We don’t live alone. We are members  of one body. We are responsible for each other” – Inspector Goole, The Inspector uses the metaphor of a body to show that people depend on one another.
• What are the elements of capitalism vs socialism in An Inspector Calls?

  Priestley presents capitalism vs socialism in An Inspector Calls through his characterisation.
• What are the elements of capitalism vs socialism in An Inspector Calls?

  • The Inspector: Embodies socialism; his investigation and moralistic speeches condemn how the poor and impoverished are victims of capitalist greed
• What are the elements of capitalism vs socialism in An Inspector Calls?

  • Mr Birling and Gerald Croft: Represent the greedy industrialists who treat workers like Eva Smith as cheap labour and refuse to raise wages.
• What are the elements of capitalism vs socialism in An Inspector Calls?

  • Eva Smith: Her tragic fate shows the destructive potential of capitalism: she was fired for seeking a living wage, and denied charity on the basis of her perceived worth.
• The impact of capitalism vs socialism on characters:

  Priestley, as a socialist, believed that wealth should be distributed throughout society, and that the wealthy and privileged have a responsibility to support the poorest in society. The play attacks the most selfish elements of capitalism by emphasising its amoral qualities.
• The impact of capitalism vs socialism on characters: The Birlings and Gerald, Priestley contrasts the comfortable, affluent life of the Birlings with the distressing account of Eva’s wretched life: 

  • Gerald, son of the wealthy Crofts, also believes that Mr Birling was correct to sack a ‘troublemaker’

  
  

  • Mr Birling, resistant to the Inspector’s message, protects his business to maximise profits: 
  • He treats his workers with contempt, displaying no sense of responsibility or concern for their welfare  
• The impact of capitalism vs socialism on characters: The Inspector,

  • The Inspector personifies socialist ideology by acting for the benefit of others rather than himself:
  • His central message is that everyone is connected by a “chain of events”; the actions of the upper classes affect the less fortunate
  • The Inspector seizes control of the Birlings’ celebration, symbolising Priestley’s hope that socialism could overcome capitalism
• The impact of capitalism vs socialism on characters: Eva,

  • Despite being a good worker, Eva is exploited and marginalised by the capitalist system:
  • Priestley, through the Inspector, maintains that such a system creates inequalities in society and prevents social mobility
• Why does Priestley use the theme of capitalism vs socialism in his play?

  1.  Setting and period

  • Priestley underscores how the wealthiest in society enjoy privileges and lives of excess, but are blind to the effects of their actions on the less fortunate in society
  • The play is a microcosm of capitalist society, set in an industrial city, in the home of a wealthy manufacturer
• Why does Priestley use the theme of capitalism vs socialism in his play?

  2. Plot driver 

  • The play’s plot demonstrates what happens when powerful, greedy people prioritise money over the wellbeing of their fellow citizens
  • For Priestley, Eva Smith represents “millions and millions and millions” of impoverished people, oppressed by an economic system that puts profit before people
• Why does Priestley use the theme of capitalism vs socialism in his play?

  3. Audience appeal 

  • Priestley’s 1945 audience was a more progressive and responsible generation, aware of workers’ rights and the rights of women like Eva
  • Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald reflect an outdated ideology from which society was seeking to move away