USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -1788. 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-2: -All members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state. These included a direct tax, called taille, and a number of indirect taxes which were levied on articles of everyday consumption like salt or tobacco.

Detailed explanation-3: -The third Estate = Businessman, merchants, small farmers, artisans, servants, and labors belonged to this group. And they had to pay all types of taxes including tithes and taille.

Detailed explanation-4: -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-5: -Under third estate some were rich and some were poor. Under Louis XVI, France helped many American colonies to gain independence which pushed livres to a debt. In order to meet their expenses, the French government decided to divide society into three estates were the only third estate would pay taxes.