Views of Paul Bernard regarding the development of colonies by the mother country :
(i) He believed that the economy of the colonies needed to be developed.
(ii) If the economy was developed and the standard of living of the people improved, they would buy more goods. The market would consequently expand, leading to better profits for French business.
(iii) Bernard suggested that there were several barriers to economic growth in Vietnam like high population levels, low agricultural productivity and extensive indebtedness amongst the peasants.
(iv) To reduce rural poverty and increase agricultural productivity, it was necessary to carry out land reforms as the Japanese had done in the 1890's.
(v) As the experience of Japan showed, industrialization would be essential to create more jobs.
