CONTEXT

• J.B. Priestley wrote 'An Inspector Calls' in a single week, so it was impossible to find a theatre to host it at such short notice. Therefore, surprisingly, the play was first performed in Moscow and Leningrad, Russia, in 1945. It reached London in 1946, when it was performed at the New Theatre. It was then performed on Broadway In 1947. Since then, it has been performed and reproduced countless times. It has also been adapted for film, TV, and radio, such as the 2015 BBC adaptation starring David Thewlis.
• After its first London performances, the play was hugely successful. Many view it as Priestley's best work, and it has remained in the public eye ever since because of its popularity both with theatre troupes and with exam boards.
• Drawing room play


  Developed during the Victorian period, and their popularity continued into the mid twentieth century. They focused on events and actions that occurred in a drawing room. Drawing rooms were used to entertain guests, particularly amongst the upper classes.
• An Inspector Calls


  Fits the trend of detective thriller and serious drama, such as those by T.S. Eliot and George Bernard Shaw, in theatres.
• The play fell out of fashion after the 1960s. Theatre had moved on with a new movement of Social Realist Theatre, which explored serious social issues within a contemporary (of the times) setting. 'An Inspector Calls', in contrast, was outdated, and many felt it was written for the rich and middle classes. Several revivals at the end of the century, though, brought the play back to life and back into popularity.
• Today, it is celebrated for Priestley's criticism of Capitalism and middle-class hypocrisy. Critics view it as an accurate reproduction of pre-World War I society as it fell apart.

  
• J.B. Priestley


  Born in 1894 in Bradford, Yorkshire. His mother died soon after, leading his father to remarry four years later. His father was a headmaster and Priestley had a grammar school education. He left school at the age of 16 instead of going to university. He got practical work experience, becoming a junior clerk at a wool firm in the city, while writing at night. Eventually, he got articles published in local and London newspapers.
• Yorkshire's culture


  • Influences a lot of Priestley's work. In Bradford, Priestley witnessed a lot of poverty amongst the working classes. The city was industrial, with its economy reliant on the wool and dyeing industries. The living conditions had improved since the 1840s, but many still lived in slums and impoverished conditions. At the same time, Priestley took note of how the city's respectable folk behaved: he took them to be smug and hypocritical.
• Priestley's Socialist values


  He was raised surrounded by Socialist values. His father was a proud Socialist with many Socialist friends, and Priestley grew up surrounded by this group of people. His peers were intellectual and politically active. This cemented his own Socialist values while he was still relatively young.
• War broke out when Priestley was 19, nearly 20. He volunteered for the army, and served for five years as a private, lance-corporal, and later an officer. While serving, he saw active front-line service in France, was buried alive by a German shell attack and was a victim of a gas attack. He survived physically unscathed, however, his experience at war haunted him forever.
• After the war, Priestley studied Modern History and Political Science at Cambridge University before choosing to focus on his writing. He moved to London, and became a famous essayist, novelist, and radio broadcaster. Also, he became a prominent Socialist, using his platform to speak out about class inequality and poverty in Britain.
• When World War Two broke out, Priestley became a radio broadcaster for the BBC. His show, the 'Postscripts', came on after the news. The main purpose of his show was to give his own personal reflections on the wartime conditions, and to boost national morale. He called for a fairer, better society to emerge after the war, but he had to be careful about how critical he was of the government. Before his show ended, he had used his broadcast to bring his listeners' attention to the issue of inequality in wartime Britain.
• In 1942, Priestley became a co-founder of the Common Wealth Party, a Socialist political party. Priestley was, at this point, an influential figure in British politics. His opinions and broadcasts shaped a lot of the political debate of the period. He helped Labour win the election in 1945 and contributed to the formation of the Welfare State.
• Responsibility


  A key theme in Priestley's work. He looked at how the individual and the collective had responsibilities and duties.
• Theories of time


  Priestley was also fascinated by theories of time, and developed his own theory on how time worked. Many of his plays looked at the effects of an individual's actions over a passage of time - just like what we see in 'An Inspector Calls'.
• Although it wasn't written or set in the Victorian Era, we can still see the influence of the Victorian culture in Priestley's portrayal of 1910's society. In fact, many believe the play demonstrates the destructive impact of Victorian values, and advocates for their removal from our modern culture.
• Charity/Philanthropy


  Before Queen Victoria's reign, England had something called the 'Poor Law'. This law was set up by Queen Elizabeth I to provide help for the poor by offering them money and support. This was reformed by Victoria, who believed the poor should work to earn their help. This is why workhouses were set up. People facing poverty had to work in awful conditions in order for others to think them worthy of being helped.
• Deserving poor


  The Victorians believed the poor had to be judged for their worth. If they were deemed to be moral, they could be helped. Along with this was the belief that those who offered charity were socially and morally superior.
• Fallen women


  Women who society believed had lost their innocence and fallen from the grace of God were called "fallen women". This included prostitutes, mistresses, and adulterers. Though these women were condemned and ostracised by society, there was a romantic ideal surrounding the way men treated these women.
• Hierarchy


  The Victorians were obsessed with strict rules and hierarchy. A lot of Victorian morals were taken from the Bible, but their interpretation was often harsher and more extreme than the original Biblical texts. The Victorians were very religious people. They believed in sexual restraint, honesty, politeness, cleanliness, and obedience of the law. Everyone lived in a hierarchy determined by age, gender, wealth, and heritage. Your role in this hierarchy determined which expectations you should fulfil.
• Repression


  A side effect of all this restraint and repression was a great deal of hypocrisy. The brothels and opium dens of Victorian London thrived. Most of the people in the upper classes, particularly the men, lived a double life. They took part in all the 'sinful' activities that, by day, they would condemn.
• Both the First World War and the Second World War would change the economic, political, and social landscape of Britain irreversibly.
• Impact of the World Wars on the class system

  War was a unifying event in many ways for the country. Everyone, rich or poor, experienced the same black outs, bombing raids, rations, and fears. Wealth meant little when the country was at war, meaning the upper classes experienced the same conditions as their poorer peers. Conscription meant that every man, no matter his class, was forced to fight. Many rich families lost their wealth, and many estates were also lost. Not only was there less difference between the classes: there were fewer upper class people altogether.
• Attitudes towards war


  When Britain first went to war in 1914, the decision was met with a lot of optimism and enthusiasm. Many men, even underage boys, volunteered to enlist. A common saying was 'Over By Christmas', as people believed the war would be short and decisive.
• Everyone, rich or poor, experienced the same black outs, bombing raids, rations, and fears. Wealth meant little when the country was at war, meaning the upper classes experienced the same conditions as their poorer peers
• Conscription (mandatory enlistment to the army) meant that every man, no matter his class, was forced to fight. Many rich families lost their fathers, brothers, and sons, along with the lower classes. Many rich families also lost their wealth, and many estates were also lost. Not only was there less difference between the classes: there were fewer upper class people altogether
• Jingoism


  The whole movement of optimism and enthusiasm towards war, particularly during the First World War
• When Britain first went to war in 1914, the decision was met with a lot of optimism and enthusiasm. Many men, even underage boys, volunteered to enlist. A common saying was 'Over By Christmas', as people believed the war would be over quickly. Men who did not enlist were often publicly shamed for it
• The First World War was the first major war to be mechanised - guns, bombs, grenades, and other ammunition made the war much more deadly. Gas attacks were a new horror. Poets writing from the battlefronts recorded the gruesome reality of war
• Many disagreed with the way innocent men were sent to their deaths by the authorities: the men at the very top of the social hierarchy who never went near danger. Many felt they were fighting another man's war
• The Second World War brought another sense of unification and teamwork to the country. Bombing raids meant the conflict felt much closer than it had during the First World War. The evacuation of children from the cities into the countryside meant lower class and upper class families mixed, bringing awareness to the extreme poverty that still existed in cities. Rationing brought everyone to the same level, and created a sense of sharing and cooperation. Similarly, during blackouts and bombing raids, families would come together and help each other if needed. Everyone was at equal risk
• The government became much more involved in people's lives during World War Two. This undid the policy of a 'laissez-faire' government. Rationing and evacuation were both examples of how the government took measures to protect its people
• During the war, a social policy expert called William Beveridge was asked to investigate social security. This would help the government reform their social policies and recover from the impact of war
• Beveridge's report identified five problems that stopped people from improving their lives: poverty, lack of education, poor housing, unemployment, and poor health care provision. Beveridge also recommended several measures the government could take, including benefits for the unemployed, family allowances, pensions, grants, and the National Health Service
• The Great Depression


  The worst economic event since industrialisation
• The Great Depression began in 1929 with the Wall Street Crash and though it started in America, its impacts were felt worldwide
• The Wall Street Crash refers to when America's stock markets crashed in 1929. The country experienced an economic boom after the end of World War One, so everyone had money to spend. A lot of this money went into stocks, so the stock market expanded rapidly. However, these high stock prices didn't match the state of the rest of the country. Wages were low, unemployment was high, and production had declined. Many consumers were in debt. Eventually, people panicked and started selling their stocks at ridiculous prices, and the market crashed
• The crash caused a worldwide recession. Consumer spending and investment decreased. Industrial output decreased. Unemployment rose. Banks failed. Money lost its value. Famously, in Germany, people carried their money in wheelbarrows
• Like the war, the Great Depression meant that people of all classes experienced the same dire circumstances. Everyone suffered. The upper classes in Britain learnt what it was like to work and not be paid fairly
• The class system in 1912 was very similar to the class system set up by the Victorians. Britain was stuck in a rut when it came to social equality. Like in the late nineteenth century, the rich and poor lived side by side, but the actual lives they had were incredibly different