2017 · Q78
With regard to nature of Mughal State, who among the following scholars argued that “the peculiar feature of the State in Mughal India was that it served not merely as the protective arm of the exploiting classes, but was itself the principal instrument of exploitation” ?
General KnowledgeHistory of India
- AIrfan Habib
- BSatish Chandm
- CAthar Ali
- DJ. F. Richards
Explanation
The quoted characterization of the Mughal state — as 'not merely the protective arm of the exploiting classes, but itself the principal instrument of exploitation' — is the well-known thesis of the historian Irfan Habib, developed in his work on the agrarian system of Mughal India. Satish Chandra, Athar Ali and J.F. Richards offered different interpretations of the nature of the Mughal state. The statement is attributed to Irfan Habib.