# The Acquisitive Society — Character guide

> Key figures in The Acquisitive Society by R. H. Tawney.

- [the Germans](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters/the_germans.md): A collective entity representing German industrial and military power, often referenced as a focal contrast.
- [Bentham](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters/bentham.md): Philosopher and legal reformer whose utilitarian ideas are critiqued in the context of industrial society.
- [Mr. Justice Sankey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters/mr_justice_sankey.md): A judge whose legal opinions are cited in discussions of property and function.
- [Lord Hugh Cecil](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters/lord_hugh_cecil.md): A political figure referenced in arguments about the nature of property and society.
- [Providence](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters/providence.md): A personification of divine providence invoked in discussions of economic and social order.
- [Adam Smith](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters/adam_smith.md): Foundational economist whose theories are examined in the critique of acquisitive society.
- [Bacon](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters/bacon.md): Philosopher and statesman referenced in discussions of knowledge and industrial progress.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_acquisitive_society_se/characters