The Estates
The Estates were what divided the people of the French society before the revolution. In the First Estate, it was mainly made up of the clergy. This was the Roman Catholic Church. They were 0.3% of France's population and owned about 10% of the land. The First Estate did not pay taxes even though they were one of the wealthiest people of France. The Second Estate was made up of aristocrats. They made up 1.5% of the population and owned 20% of the land and didn't pay taxes. They often ordered peasants to work on their land and made them pay to use the mills. They were
given control of many villages and were hated by both
the other estates. The Third Estate made up 98.2% of the
population and consisted of middle class and peasants.
The majority was peasants and they did not own much
land. The Third Estate was abused by the First and
Second Estate and were very poorly treated. A major
problem that caused the French Revolution was that
everyone wanted more power and more land.
given control of many villages and were hated by both
the other estates. The Third Estate made up 98.2% of the
population and consisted of middle class and peasants.
The majority was peasants and they did not own much
land. The Third Estate was abused by the First and
Second Estate and were very poorly treated. A major
problem that caused the French Revolution was that
everyone wanted more power and more land.