The Historical Context Behind An Inspector Calls

The period between 1912 and 1945 was absolutely mental for Britain - imagine living through two world wars, a depression, and complete social transformation! Priestley deliberately set his play in 1912 but wrote it in 1945, creating a clever dramatic irony that lets the audience see how wrong characters like Mr Birling really are.

World War One completely shattered the old class system that had dominated British society for centuries. Suddenly, working-class people were fighting alongside toffs, women were doing "men's jobs," and the supposed superiority of the upper classes was exposed as rubbish. The war's devastating death toll and financial cost left Britain questioning everything it had believed about progress and social hierarchy.

The Russian Revolution and rise of the Soviet Union terrified the British establishment whilst inspiring socialist movements. Meanwhile, women were finally gaining rights - getting the vote, attending Oxford University, and proving they could do far more than just domestic work. Emily Davison's death at the 1913 Epsom Derby became a powerful symbol of women's determination to achieve equality.

Key Point: Priestley uses Mr Birling's confident predictions about the Titanic and Kaiser Wilhelm to show how arrogant and wrong the older generation's worldview really was.

The 1912 miners' strike was absolutely massive - nearly one million people fought for a minimum wage, and after 37 days, they won! This showed the growing power of organised labour and terrified people like the Birlings, who saw their privileged position under threat from an increasingly confident working class.