The Acquisitive Society · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Acquisitive Society by R. H. Tawney.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
the Germans
supporting
Also known as Their, their
In Tawney's argument, the Germans function less as a people than as a mirror — a collective example of organized industrial power that Englishmen cite to flatter themselves or to justify tightening control over their own workers. The tension they embody is between efficiency and freedom: the same concentrated authority that produces results abroad also produces the 'industrial feudalism' Tawney finds at home. They matter early because they let him puncture the vanity of Englishmen and show that the real question is not national character but the structure of industry itself.
Bentham
minor
Philosopher and legal reformer whose utilitarian ideas are critiqued in the context of industrial society.
Mr. Justice Sankey
minor
Also known as Justice Sankey
A judge whose legal opinions are cited in discussions of property and function.
Lord Hugh Cecil
minor
Also known as Lord Hugh
A political figure referenced in arguments about the nature of property and society.
Providence
minor
Also known as Its, it, its
A personification of divine providence invoked in discussions of economic and social order.
Adam Smith
minor
Foundational economist whose theories are examined in the critique of acquisitive society.
Bacon
minor
Philosopher and statesman referenced in discussions of knowledge and industrial progress.
