The Brisker Rav similarly explains the events in this week's parsha. For a king to baselessly persecute a nation living within his borders, is a great embarrassment at home and abroad. Therefore, Pharaoh had to devise a plan to disguise the persecution. He described the Jewish people as being untrustworthy, a nation whose intention is not for the betterment of Egypt or for its native population. This is why Pharaoh felt the need to excessively tax the Jewish people.
History repeats itself, many times over.