“The social and economic treatment of minorities in early modern societies was severe.” Discuss with reference to one early modern society.

With reference to one early modern society, candidates will offer a considered and balanced review of the hypothesis that social and economic treatment of minorities (the treatment of women is not valid) in early modern societies was unfair. The focus of the response must be within the timeframe of the topic, but the answer need not cover the whole timeframe; neither is it necessary for the social and economic aspects of the hypothesis to be equally treated. Candidates may, for example, consider the fairness or otherwise of political, commercial and tax privileges enjoyed by some minorities, religiously based discrimination (sometimes particularly acute in war-time), or the treatment of slaves who may have come from a minority group.