The Role Of The Third Estate In The French Revolution

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Before the French Revolution in the 1770s France had a political and social system called the Old Regime which was divided into three estates. Most people involved in the French Revolution were from the Third Estate, the commoners. They felt the system was unjust as all the privileges went to the First and Second Estates, the wealthy clergy and nobles. The First and Second Estates could outvote the third estate and they did not have taxes, so the Third Estate was taxed heavily. The commoners were taxed for many things and they grew to resent the nobles and clergy that did not have to pay taxes especially since they had a much greater amount of money. Also peasants, part of the third estate, made up more than 80% of the population of France
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