• A rigid social structure existed during Ancien Regime (old order) comprising three estates based on custom and tradition and inequalities sanctioned by law.
• The First Estate comprised the clergy (about 130 000 people); the Second Estate (between 120 000 - 350 000 people) were the nobility and the Third Estate (about 27 million) were the estate of the commoners who were the bourgeoisie, wage earners and peasants.
• The First Estate owned 10-15% of the land in France which was tax-free. The Second Estate owned 30% of the land tax free. .
• 1st and 2nd estates had many privileges that the 3rd estate did not receive. A section of the Third estate was extremely rich (bourgeoisie), but wealth did not provide status or privilege for them.
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• The feudal system favoured the first two estates. 3rd estate had to pay taxes that the other two estates were exempt from. Government direct taxes such as taille, capitation, twentieths and corvee as well as indirect taxes on food. .
• The peasants did not own their own land but rented it from nobles (seignioral system). They paid taxes to the king, to the church (in the form of tithe), taxes and dues to the lord of the manor. Even though they were extremely poor, they still had to pay these taxes. Several million were so poor they had to rely on charity.
• Only people in the first two estates could hold any powerful position in society. Money did not bring status or power. The bourgeoisie were disgruntled about the situation, wanting power themselves, but not being able to achieve it.
"An entire family lives in a single room, in which four walls are bare, the beds have no covers . Every three months the inhabitants are thrown out for owing back rent and must find another hole to live in.".
A writer, Louis-Sebastien Mercier, Tableau de Paris 1783.
2. Absolute Monarchy.
• The King had absolute control over French political, social and economic structures.
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