Final answer:
France was divided into three traditional social classes: the privileged clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), both of which paid little to no taxes, and the overburdened Third Estate which included everyone else, especially the bourgeoisie, and paid the majority of taxes. These social inequalities spurred the French Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
On the eve of the French Revolution, France was divided into three main social classes, commonly referred to as the Three Estates. The First Estate, made up of the clergy, represented about one percent of the population, yet owned around ten percent of the lands and paid very little in taxes. The Second Estate, consisting of the nobility, encompassed roughly two percent of the population and controlled a significant portion of wealth and political power, enjoying similar tax exemptions. The largest class, the Third Estate, contained over ninety-five percent of the population, including peasants, the bourgeoisie, and urban poor, who shoulder the majority of the tax burden.
The social inequities inherent in this system were stark: the wealthy First and Second Estates, while being a small minority, enjoyed most of the privileges and paid almost no taxes, while the Third Estate, encompassing the vast majority of the population, carried the tax load despite often living in poverty or facing economic struggles. These social inequalities played a significant role in fueling the French Revolution by inciting widespread dissatisfaction and anger towards the ruling classes and the monarchy, who were seen as out of touch with the hardships of the common people.
Building up to the revolution, factors such as poor harvests, economic difficulties, and an antiquated and unjust social system contributed to the popular unrest. The burden of paying taxes fell largely on the Third Estate, which included the increasingly resentful bourgeoisie, who desired political power and access to the privileges enjoyed by the First and Second Estates. This set the stage for the massive social upheaval and transformative period that followed.