Socialism vs Capitalism Flashcards
First impressions - SvsC
capitalism - Birling and gerald
“bees in a hive”
“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices.”
“hard-headed practical man of business” - G&MrB are “working together” despite laughing at the concept of people working together as a society - to them it is only acceptable if it benefits them directly, like getting higher profits in their future shared business ventures.
G “comes from an old country family, landed people and so forth”, so this gives him a motive to be more conservative - so he can keep his wealth and not share his profits with his employees.
This is demonstrated when he agrees with MrB whereas S opposes MrB.
G - “hear, hear! And I think my father would agree to that.”
whereas S (to the very same speech given by MrB) “Neither do I. All wrong” - in response to MrsB saying business should be kept out of events like this.
There is conflict established between them here because S opposes her father whereas G agrees with MrB
MrB is a representation of how capitalism dominated society and is a caricature of this self-absorbed capitalist conservative man - but one that was seen often in this pre-war society
Inspector - SvsC
“I’ve had that notion myself from time to time” - “put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies in their dingy little backrooms” - contrasts the capitalist tone established and introduces the Insp as a force that is going to be destructive to their ideologies.
collective responsibility
“But just remember this” - leaves them with one final parting message “fire and blood and anguish” - trying to appeal to them to make them see his perspective.
Mouthpiece for Priestley’s socialist views - attacks audience’s beliefs too in doing so.
Change - SvsC
S takes on role of Insp - recounting events in a similar style to Insp “Gerald kept her” “final push” - this shows that S has aligned herself even more with the political ideas of the Insp after he has gone.
“But you’re forgetting one thing I still can’t forget. Everything we said had happened really had happened.” - “Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide.” - S&E cant justify forgetting about Eva and her death, even if it was all just a hoax. They have now fully aligned themselves with Insp’s more socialist views and are not ashamed or scared to outwardly express these views to their parents.
Opposition to change - SvsC
calls Insp a socialist “crank”
“The whole story’s just a lot of moonshine. Nothing but an elaborate sell.” - MrB
Notably G is the one who discovers the Insp is a fake and is keen to forget this all - associating him with the older generation as has been happening throughout the play.
They are strict in their beliefs that this didnt happen
Self-absorbed amoral selfish belief of capitalism
Presents the older generation (Inc G) as being stuck in their capitalist ways and resistant to change, which portrays them as ignorant, callus and uncaring.
