What, according to Bernier, were the problems faced by peasants in the subcontinent? Do you think his description would have served to strengthen his case?
According to Bernier, peasants faced excessive oppression from rapacious lords and governors. When unable to pay demands, they lost their means of subsistence and their children were carried away as slaves. Driven to despair by such tyranny, many peasants abandoned the country, leaving vast tracts of land untilled. Bernier blamed crown ownership of land for this situation, as peasants had no incentive to maintain or improve the land, leading to the uniform ruination of agriculture and a continuous decline in living standards.
Yes, his description would have strengthened his case. Bernier was participating in contemporary European debates concerning the nature of state and society. His vivid portrayal of impoverished masses subjugated by a small, rich ruling class, with "no middle state" in India, served as a warning to those who did not recognise the "merits" of private property. By depicting Mughal India as a land of "beggars and barbarians" with ruined cities and barren fields, he effectively argued against crown ownership of land.
Explanation
The answer draws directly from Source 11 and the accompanying analysis in the textbook. Bernier's description of peasant suffering—slavery, abandonment of land, loss of subsistence—supports his broader argument about the dangers of crown ownership of land. His account was deliberately crafted to influence European debates about property rights.