TITANIC WORLD WAR ONE AND

‘Why, a friend of mine went over this new liner last week – the Titanic – she
sails next week – forty-six thousand eight hundred tons – New York in five
days – and every luxury – and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.’ – Arthur
Birling
TWO
‘You'll hear some people say that war's inevitable. And to that I say – fiddlesticks!
The Germans don't want war. Nobody wants war, except some half-civilized folks
in the Balkans.’ – Arthur Birling

What was the Titanic and what happened to it?

How did World War 1 start?
How can the Titanic be seen as representative of the class system of the early 1900s?
Research what life was like for an Officer in World War 1. What was their average life
expectancy?
Research what life was like for a First Class passenger and a Third Class passenger.
What were the differences?
What was life like for people in Britain in World War 1?
Research the American Dream. Can you link this to the Titanic?
What were conditions like for working class citizens compared to the upper class?
Why does Priestley have Birling mention the Titanic? What does it say about Birling as
How did World War 2 challenge society’s views of women? What were their roles?
a character?
How did World War 1 and World War 2 propel Russia to become a super power?
Research other facts about Titanic that relate to the class system.

Research any records the Titanic

beat/created.
How does this topic relate to ‘An Inspector Calls’?
THINK DEEPER: Can you relate the idea
of human arrogance to Titanic? Consider THINK DEEPER: Who was the Kaiser of
why Mr. Birling of all people mentions Germany in 1912 and what did he threaten in his
Titanic. What does this tell us about society speeches?
at the time and how can you relate this to
‘An Inspector Calls’?
 THE GREAT DEPRESSION
‘And we're in for a time of steadily increasing prosperity.’ - Arthur Birling
What was the Great Depression?
What was the British economy (business/industry etc) like at this time in the 1930s?
How did the Great Depression affect the upper and lower classes in Britain at the time?
How do you think the Great Depression would affect business owners like Mr. Birling?
Research other interesting facts about the Great Depression. Can you find any events
that prove Birling wrong when he says, ‘We’re in for a time of steadily increasing
prosperity’? (Remember, the play is set in 1912 and was performed in 1946). The
audience have experienced the Great Depression at this point and so they will know that
Birling does not know what he is talking about.
How does this topic relate to ‘An Inspector Calls’?
LABOUR/STRIKES
‘Last month, just because the miners came out on strike, there's a lot of wild talk
about possible labour trouble in the near future. Don't worry. We've passed the
worst of it.’ – Arthur Birling
Which strike is Birling referencing when he says, ‘last month, just because the miners came
out on strike, there’s a lot of wild talk about possible labour trouble in the near future’?
(p.6)
What was the 1926 General Strike? Why was it called and how did it affect British citizens?
Why would people like Birling be against the strike?
What is the point of a union and what role did they play in the General Strike?
Why did Labour win the 1945 general election?
THINK DEEPER: How does this topic relate to ‘An Inspector Calls’?

THINK DEEPER: What was the Jarrow Crusade? Why were these
people striking? Go into as much detail as possible.
CAPITALISM vs SOCIALISM
‘But the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look
after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and
all that nonsense. But take my word for it, you youngsters – and I’ve learnt in the good hard
school of experience – that a man has to mind his own business and look after himself’ –
Arthur Birling

What is capitalism?

What is socialism?

Was J.B Priestley a capitalist or a socialist? Bearing this in mind, why does he have
Birling promoting capitalist views?

Can you find examples of capitalism and socialism before and after World War 2?

Can you find examples of capitalism and socialism in 2017?

How does this topic relate to ‘An Inspector Calls’?

THINK DEEPER: How and why did capitalism affect the lower class in the 1900s?
Why did upper class citizens like Birling dislike socialism?