Studied by 10 people
when was the play first performed?
1946
when was the play set?
1912
where was JB. Priestley born?
Bradford, Yorkshire
what kind of an education did Priestley have?
grammar school education
left school at 16
didn’t go to university
what work did he do?
practical work
he was a junior clerk at a wool firm in the city
what did he do as a broadcaster?
used this platform to speak out about class inequality and poverty in Britain
what influenced his writing?
Yorkshire culture
witnessed poverty amongst the working classes, many people were in slums and appalling conditions
what were Priestley’s ideas about society and why?
believed in socialist values (equality and freedom)
his father was a proud socialist and had many socialist friends
he was surrounded by loads of socialist people influencing his view on society whilst he was very young
how old was priestley when he volunteered for the army?
19 nearly 20
what did Priestley survive during his time at war?
he was a victim to a shell and gas attack
what did his experience of war teach Priestley?
made him realise how social inequality beyond what he had seen at home existed
officers where discarding the fallen men, not rewarding their services
what were two achievements Priestley made?
helped the Labour party win the elections in 1945
contributed to the formation of the Welfare State
what was the Welfare State?
a state set up by the government that provided for the sick, elderly and the unemployed
it protected people against economic crisis‘s
what was Priestley fascinated by and how did this effect his plays?
theories of time
he looked at effects on an individual’s actions over a passage of time just like in An Inspector Calls
was An Inspector Calls set in the Victorian era?
no
how was the poor law reformed?
Queen Victoria believed the poor should work to earn help
why were workhouses set up and how does this have reference to the poor law?
working class people could earn help
people had to work in appalling conditions to be worthy of help
what were ‘fallen women’?
people in society that believed that women lost their innocence and had fallen from the grace of God
these women were condemned and outcast from society
what was society’s ideas of the romantic ideal of fallen women?
men that ‘helped’ fallen women were praised and celerbrated
what did Priestley suggest was the romantic ideal of fallen woman?
men prayed on the fallen women as they were easier targets
how was your hierarchy determined?
age
wealth
heritage
gender
define a ‘double life’ in the Victorian era
most people in the upper classes mostly men lived a double life
they got involved with all the sinful activities behind their daily routines eg. gerald and eric
what did the upper class consist of?
luxurious homes and estates in the country to escape the poverty in towns
fancy clothing
quality food and drink
wealthy
educated
what did the lower class consist of?
many children = more mouths to feed
hygiene and sanitation were poor
little to no education
what could upper class women rely on?
marrying and being supported by husbands wealth
unmarried women
vulnerable
often lived in total poverty
what happened to unmarried and pregnant women?
many forced onto the streets
unemployed
what were some beliefs that rich people had about the working class?
the poor had themselves to blame for their situations
working classes were stupid and didn’t work hard enough so that was why they lived in poverty
they deserved it so why should they help
define social mobility
the ability for an individual, family or group to move between social classes eg. Mr Birling
why was social mobility nearly non existent in 1912?
working class couldn’t get into grander jobs
they were seen as unskilled and uneducated
upper classes saw no need to change as they were well off
what did Priestley want to demonstrate in his play?
how important it was to eliminate class divides in Britain
upper class families still believed after war time that they were superior
when was the industrial revolution?
1760-1840
what did the industrial revolution consist of?
machinery (people lost their jobs due to machines taking over agriculturally)
population growth
more income
define people with ‘old money’
wealth had been in the family for decades
define people with ‘new money’
people who made their fortune from new methods of industry
which family are part of the ‘new money’ era
the birlings
which family are part of the ‘old money’ era?
the crofts
what were conditions in workhouses like?
dirty
poorly lit
didn’t have access to clean water
dangerous machinery = risk of dying
what were the terms of working for the working class in shops?
strict rules about how they could behave in-front of customers
if they were accused of gossiping or being rude to customers they could lose their jobs
women’s rights
workers were unhappy = started to group together
trade unions were formed
define trade unions
associations formed and run by workers in the interest of equality and protecting rights
what did the beveridge report lead to?
to formation of the welfare state
when was the beveridge report published?
1942
what did capitalism vs socialism mean?
two opposing economic and cultural systems that determine how people make their money and how the government run
what does capitalism consist of?
making a profit by exploiting others (using them for their own benefit)
production costs low but selling goods at the highest prices
what was karl marx’s theory on socialism in the 19th century?
human beings are most efficient when they work together
value the well being of many rather than the well being of an individual
what was the statistic for the number of women to die giving birth in the victorian era?
1 out of every 200 women a lot higher than today = slim chance of survival
it was unsafe and dangerous
chloroform was available but only for the upper classes that could afford a doctor
abortion in the early 20th century
illegal
methods were dangerous
at risk of infections due to poor hygiene and inaccurate procedure
what did an inspector calls do to the public?
reminded people of the past and how they need to commend the present and keep pushing for total equality
