Final answer:
The social hierarchy of France before the French Revolution was characterised by a division into three estates: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and the Third Estate (everyone else), with the first two enjoying privileges and paying little to no taxes, leading to massive social inequities that fueled the revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The social hierarchy of France under the ancien régime demonstrated significant social inequities that contributed to the onset of the French Revolution.
At the top of this hierarchy were the clergy (First Estate) and the aristocracy (Second Estate), constituting a small percentage of the population but holding a disproportionate amount of land and wealth, and being largely exempt from taxes.
In sharp contrast, the Third Estate, which included the bourgeoisie, urban workers, peasants, and the rest of the population, bore the brunt of taxation while being denied equivalent privileges and political power.
The Second Estate, formed by the nobility, comprised around 2 to 4 percent of the population, controlled up to 30 percent of the land, and held key positions in government and military.
Finally, the Third Estate represented the diverse remainder of the populace, with many in this group aspiring to better representation and fewer tax burdens. The absence of fair taxation, lack of political representation, and the disparity in landownership fostered resentment and unrest, leading to the revolutionary climate that overtook France in 1789.