Capitalism vs. Socialism

• Capitalism


  An economic system where the factors of production (capital goods, natural resources, and entrepreneurship) are owned and controlled by private groups or individuals
• Socialism


  An economic system where the factors of production are owned equally by everyone in society
• Priestley was a socialist, but Britain was - and still is - a capitalist country
• The Birlings


  • Represent the prospering capitalists in society
• The Inspector


  • Acts as Priestley's socialist mouthpiece, to condemn capitalism and teach socialist ideals
• Capitalism's eventual fall to socialism


  Socialism is the superior, more beneficial, and more powerful political system
• One motto of Capitalism is "Greed is good"
• In a Capitalist society, people are rewarded according to their wealth, not contribution
• Socialism considers the resources' usefulness to people
• Socialism ensures that those who can't contribute to production, such as the elderly, are still cared for
• Poverty is not possible in an ideal Socialist society because everyone has equal access to profits and resources such as health care
• In 1912, the Liberal Party was in power in Britain, supporting laissez-faire economics, which are ideal for Capitalism
• In the 1945 General Election, the Labour Party was elected into government by a landslide, with many Socialist values and proposals
• This massive change from a previously Conservative country is believed to be caused by the nation's desire for social reform
• Mr Birling


  • The archetype of a Capitalist businessman, who is greedy, money-driven, and selfish
• Mr Birling: '"Your father and I have been friendly rivals in business for some time now [...] and now you've brought us together, and perhaps we may look forward to a time when Crofts and Birlings [...] are working together - for lower costs and higher prices"'
• Mr Birling: '"employers are at last coming together to see that our interests - and the interests of Capital - are properly protected"'
• Priestley presents Capitalism as a self-absorbed, amoral system where an individual's purpose is reduced to their ability to make money
• Mr Birling: '"She sails next week - forty-six thousand eight hundred tones - forty-six thousand eight hundred tons - New York in five days - and every luxury - and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable"'
• Mr Birling: '"a man has to make his own way - has to look after himself"'
• Mr Birling: '"I can't accept any responsibility"'
• Capitalism encourages narcissism and carelessness
• Mr Birling: '"Don't tell me that's because I discharged her from my employment nearly two years ago"'
• Capitalist employers don't appreciate that their workers depend on them for a decent wage in the same way they depend on their workers for production
• The competition between businesses that drives Capitalism is destructive
• Mr Birling: '"They were averaging about twenty-two and six, which was neither more nor less than is paid generally in our industry. They wanted the rates raised so they could average about twenty-five shillings a week. I refused, of course"'
• Mr Birling: '"If I'd agreed to this demand for a new rate we'd have added about twelve percent to our labour costs"'
• Workers were reduced to statistics, not viewed as individuals with needs and feelings
• Mr Birling: '"if I'd agreed to this demand for a new rate we'd have added about twelve percent to our labour costs," (Act 1, pg 15)'
• Mr Birling refused the workers' small raise immediately because he needed to keep his profits high but his prices low to ensure he's still a strong competitor in the industry
• This shows how Capitalist competitiveness stops people from making allowances for others or considering anything other than profit margins
• Eva Smith was "causing trouble in the works" (Act 1, pg 17), and because business owners need to make production as efficient as possible, any workers who are disturbing production have to go
• Workers were liabilities for employers, viewed purely by how much they contributed versus how much they cost. If they reduced profit, they were disposable
• Mr Birling is surprised and tells the Inspector "I don't see that it's any concern of yours how I choose to run my business," (Act 1, pg 15)
• Mr Birling finds the Inspector's questions "unnecessary" (Act 1, pg 15) and "officious" (Act 1, pg 18), showing he doesn't like being questioned or criticised
• The adjective "officious" implies Mr Birling sees the Inspector's questioning as a challenge to his authority and intelligence
• Mr Birling doesn't want anyone interfering with how he runs his business, which may link to the concept of laissez-faire economics
• The Socialist Inspector is opposed to the freedom laissez-faire economics brings, and Priestley suggests this culture of personal freedom and privacy within business allowed people to be exploitative, fraudulent or deceptive without consequence
• The Inspector


  A personification of Socialist ideology, acting for the good of others, with a clear moral code and championing social responsibility
• The Inspector holds the Birlings accountable for their actions, confronting and challenging them, showing how Priestley wanted Capitalism itself to be held accountable for the destruction it had caused