French society in the 1700s was run through the Ancien Regime. It consisted of 3 Estates. The 1st Estate consisted of those associated with the Catholic Church and it was 1% of the population. The 2nd Estate consisted of the Nobles and Aristocrats and it was 2% of the population. The 3rd Estate contained the rest of the French population, the working class(Bourgeoisie) and the peasants and was 97% of the population.