Step 22 of 99

Long-term causes

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The Three Estates: French society was divided into three legal classes: the First Estate (clergy, about 0.5% of population, owned about 10% of land, paid no taxes), the Second Estate (nobility, about 1.5% of population, owned 20-25% of land, paid minimal taxes), and the Third Estate (commoners, 97-98% of population, paid almost all taxes). This included the bourgeoisie (urban professionals and merchants), urban workers (sans-culottes), and peasants (the largest group).
Enlightenment ideas: Educated French people, especially the bourgeoisie, had absorbed the political theories of Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire. They challenged the legitimacy of absolute monarchy and the privileges of the nobility.
Inspiration from America: The American Revolution demonstrated that Enlightenment ideas could topple a monarchy.
Resentment of privilege: The bourgeoisie wanted political power proportional to their economic importance. Peasants resented feudal dues paid to nobles for whom they had little use.