MAKING OF A NEW NATION 1776 1800
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Pay a smaller tax than the other estates
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A voice in government equal to that of the First and Second Estates
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Greater political influence than the clergy
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A high tax burden and little political power
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Detailed explanation-1: -The Third Estate was made up of everyone else, from peasant farmers to the bourgeoisie – the wealthy business class. While the Second Estate was only 1% of the total population of France, the Third Estate was 96%, and had none of the rights and priviliges of the other two estates.
Detailed explanation-2: -The Third Estate retained the burden of producing the wealth for the two privileged Estates and also the responsibility of paying nearly all of the taxes.
Detailed explanation-3: -The tax system in pre-revolutionary France largely exempted the nobles and the clergy from taxes. The tax burden therefore devolved to the peasants, wage-earners, and the professional and business classes, also known as the Third Estate.
Detailed explanation-4: -Before the French Revolution, there were around 130, 000 members of the First Estate. Because of the dominant belief in God, religion, and the afterlife at this time, the clergy possessed the most power among the Three Estates. The Church played an integral role in politics, advising the king in all matters.