ICSE Class 8 Answered

On the eve of the French Revolution, the French society was divided into three classes called Estates:

First Estate: This Estate consisted of the members of the clergy.

Second State: The Second Estate consisted of the nobility and their families.

Third Estate: This Estate consisted of the peasantry and artisans. It also had within its fold the ‘bourgeoisie’ or the middle class consisting of professionals, merchants and traders. The Estate together made up about 90% of the population of France.