Context

Question 1

Why was the play set in 1912?

Answer 1

Priestley deliberately set his play in 1912 because the date represented an era when all was very different from the time he was writing. 
In 1912, rigid class and gender boundaries seemed to ensure that nothing would change. 
Yet by 1945, most of those class and gender divisions had been breached. 
Priestley wanted to make the most of these changes. Through this play, he encourages people to seize the opportunity the end of the war had given them to build a better, more caring society

Question 2

What was Priestley concerned about in the 1930’s?

Answer 2

During the 1930’s Priestley became very concerned about the consequences of social inequality in Britain

Question 3

What did the playwright set up in 1942?

Answer 3

In 1942 Priestley and others set up a new political
party, the Common Wealth Party, which argued for public ownership of land, greater democracy, and a new ‘morality’ in politics.
The party merged with the
Labour Party in 1945, but Priestley was influential in developing the idea of the Welfare State which began to be put into place at the end of the war

Question 4

What did Priestley believe could be avoided?

Answer 4

He believed that further world wars could only be avoided through cooperation and mutual respect between countries, and so became active in the early movement for a United Nations.