Before the French Revolution, French society was structured on the relics of feudalism, in a system known as the Estates System. The estate to which a person belonged was very important because it determined that person’s rights and status in society. Usually a person remained in one estate for his or her lifetime, and any movement from upwards in the estate system could take many generations. The first estate was the clergy, the second estate was the nobility and the third estate was the peasants. While the peasants made up the vast majority of the people in French society, approximately 97%, they lacked any political or economic power. In contrast, the clergy and the nobility controlled the majority of the land in France and held all of the important positions in the government, military and church. This is the period before the French Revolution and is a time known as the Ancien Regime. Tax collectors were corrupt, so not all the taxes reached the state treasury. The people of France resented the fact that the King and Queen and the nobility lived in luxury, spending extravagantly despite the country's problems. Bad weather conditions led to poor harvests and inflation in 1788 and 1789.

Directions: After reading the paragraphs, write a well-developed response in which you discuss the conditions in France before the revolution.