Question

The contractors described in the passage are an example of which of the following?

a) Traditional elites attempting to subvert imperial authority.
b) New elites recruited to generate increased revenue after imperial conquests.
c) Representatives intended to make the central government more responsive to local issues.
d) Professionalized military administrators who centralized land-based empires.

Answer 1

i

Step-by-step explanation:

“The Mughal emperor is not as wealthy as he might appear because he grants some of his lands to governors, in place of a salary, on condition that they pay a certain sum annually to the emperor out of any extra revenue that the land may yield. For his other lands, he has contractors collecting the taxes. Like the governors, they are bound to pay him an annual sum. These governors and contractors have an almost absolute authority over the peasantry and nearly as much over the artisans and merchants. Nothing is crueler and more oppressive than the manner in which they exercise their authority. There is no one before whom the oppressed peasant, artisan, or tradesman can pour out his just complaints. This debasing state of slavery obstructs the progress of trade and influences the manners and mode of life of every individual. There can be little encouragement to engage in commercial pursuits when success merely provokes the greed of a tyrannical official who has both the power and the desire to deprive any man of his wealth. If a man manages to obtain wealth, he would rather bury it in the ground and continue to appear poor, than risk being dispossessed by the state.” François Bernier, French traveler, letter to French finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, 1670 Question Which of the following most accurately describes Bernier’s main argument concerning Mughal administration? Responses The Mughal government functioned more efficiently than the government of France. The Mughal government functioned more efficiently than the government of France. The Mughal government discouraged reckless spending by imposing high tax rates. The Mughal government discouraged reckless spending by imposing high tax rates. The Mughal government’s practice of tax farming was not an effective means of promoting economic growth. The Mughal government’s practice of tax farming was not an effective means of promoting economic growth. The Mughal government’s tolerance of large-scale imports of precious metals weakened the empire’s

Answer 2

The described contractors signify the emergence of new elites in ancient Rome, acting as publicans to support the state's economy through tax collection and public construction, thereby increasing imperial revenue post-conquest.

Step-by-step explanation:

The contractors described in the passage are an example of new elites recruited to generate increased revenue after imperial conquests. In ancient Rome, the rise of public contractors, or publicans, came as a result of the need to construct public works and operate government enterprises, such as collecting taxes. Unlike the traditional elite who may have inherited their positions, these new elites often came from the ranks of the wealthy Roman entrepreneurs and bankers. They played a pivotal role in the economic structure of Rome by working as intermediaries between the state and the populace, extracting and managing taxes, and funding public construction—essentially helping to sustain the state's finances and exercising considerable influence due to the economic power they wielded.