R.U.R was written in 1920, not long after the Russian Communist revolution. Communism is committed to the idea that workers need to overthrow factory owners and take control of the government themselves. The robots in R.U.R. are the workers. Domin, the factory owner, sets them to work, and is willing to kill them callously and casually to prove a stupid point to Helena. Eventually, the robots grow conscious of their exploitation and overthrow their masters. This is portrayed as monstrous and horrible (lots of people die). But it also seems like justice to some degree. Domin really is a jerk, and really doesn't treat the workers well. Čapek seems to have some sympathy for Communism, though he wasn't a Communist himself. (How do we know? Well, he once wrote an essay titled—wait for it—"Why I Am Not a Communist.")
Questions About Society and Class
- Is Alquist working class? Why or why not?
- Would you expect human factory workers to welcome robots? Why or why not?
- Are the robots workers? Or are they slaves? What is the difference, if any?
Chew on This
R.U.R. shows the inevitability of class conflict.
Thanks for playing, but R.U.R. actually imagines a future without class conflict.