Priestley emphasises how out of touch Birling is by adding, Russia will always be behind naturally'. Birling really knows nothing of world politics and the irony is that the Titanic sinks and very soon Russia will show it's true political strength in 1914 when Britain is plunged into World War One. Yet, Mr. Birling believes himself to be a hard-headed, practical man of business. What Priestley is trying to illustrate in these powerfully ironic speeches is his hatred for the businessman who is only interested in himself and making money. He doesn't like the idea of everyone helping each other Community and all that nonsense'. Birling's feelings are summed up in the last sentence of his speech before the Inspector arrives, A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own'.
The atmosphere changes dramatically the moment the inspector enters the scene. He claims that the Birling's have something to do with the suicide of a young girl called Eva Smith. This death at the beginning is stereotypical of the genre because a detective thriller has to have an incident, usually a murder, for the rest of the play to build on. However, it is different in that An Inspector Calls does not involve a straightforward murder mystery because the death is a suicide. This makes the play more than just a detective thriller in itself because rather than trying to discover who committed the crime, the inspector is trying to reveal how the Birling's contributed to Eva Smith's death as part of a long chain of events. This means that that no crime has actually been committed - therefore there is also no physical punishment. However, the inspector is punishing the Birling's mentally because he is adding to the guilt felt by most of the family by making them feel worse about it. This is unlike a standard detective thriller because a normal detective would ask straightforward questions, expecting straightforward answers.
