The tax money was often used for war. The king wanted France to be a great power. They took part in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). In this war, they supported the colonists that wanted to free themselves from Great Britain. France won many battles, but the economy still broke down.

Those in the first and second estates were very rich. They didn’t need to pay taxes, and they kept everything they earned for themselves. 

There were both poor and rich people in the third estate. But those who were homeless lived in great misery.

Payment of tax

The king decided that the people in the third estate and those who didn’t belong to any estate had to pay taxes. The farmers had to pay 80 percent in taxes, so they had very little money left. They were not allowed to take part in deciding what the money should be spent on. 

Food shortages and poverty

With few goods and poor crops, the poor people suffered a lot. There were no laws that took care of the poor people. Many had to get by almost without any food. At the same time, the rich spent a lot of money on luxuries. 

So the poor started to ask questions. They wondered if it was right that they were so poor that others could be rich.

Critical questions

It was dangerous to ask too many questions, and you could be thrown in jail. People hadn’t protested before because no one took their side and they thought the power had been given by God. 

Now they wondered if this was true. They also wondered how society could be fair. We call this time the Enlightenment period.