Why was there discontent with France's old regime?

is the answer:
1.5 percent of the population were Second Estate members, who worked on 20 percent of the land.

The Second Estate members did not work the land.

Check these sites.

http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl430/estates.html

(Broken Link Removed)

so the answer would be:

98 percent of the population were members of the Third Estate, but they owned only 70 percent of the land.

Most of the Third Estae owned no land.

okay none oof the answers given to me make sense.

I was given 2 pie graphs
Its title on the top says:
Population and Land Ownership in France, 1789.

first pie graph has the following:
Percentage of Population by Estate
First Estate 0.5%
Second Estate 1.5%
Third Estate 98%

second pie graph has the following:
Percentage of Land Owned by Estate
First Estate 10%
Second Estate 20%
Third Estate 70%

Q:Study the pie graphs of population and land ownership in France. Which of the following statements explains why there was discontent with France's old regime?

a.Although only 0.5% of the population belonged to the first estate, they owned nearly all the land.

b.The first estate ruled over te most land, yet had the biggest population.

c.98 percent of the population were members of the Third Estate, but they owned only 70 percent of the land.

d.1.5 percent of the population were Second Estate members, who worked on 20 percent of the land.

Apparently I was wrong. According to your figures, the Third Estate did own land.

The answer to your original question might be that only 2% of the population owned 30% of the land, while 98% of the population owned the rest.

It should also be noted that the Third Estate were mostly poor, but they were heavily taxed to pay for the luxuries of the First and Second Estates.

so whch answer should i select? im thinking of d.

That isn't the answer I suggested above.

Besides -- the Second Estate OWNED land, but they didn't WORK on it. They hired Third Estate laborers to farm the land.

The discontent with France's old regime was rooted in a combination of social, economic, and political factors. One major factor was the unequal distribution of power and privileges among the different estates.

To understand this, we need to dive into the structure of the old regime in France. The society was divided into three estates: the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (nobility), and the Third Estate (commoners). The first two estates, comprising only a small fraction of the population, held the majority of power and enjoyed numerous privileges, while the Third Estate, which encompassed the majority of the population, faced significant social and economic hardships.

A notable statistic that reflects this discontent is the one you mentioned, stating that 1.5 percent of the population belonged to the Second Estate, yet they controlled 20 percent of the land. This highlights the stark inequality that existed within the feudal system, where the Second Estate held significant land and wealth, while the majority of the population struggled to make a living.

Moreover, the Third Estate faced heavy taxation, with the burden falling disproportionately on them. They were subject to numerous dues and taxes, while the nobility and clergy enjoyed various exemptions. This financial strain further fueled resentment and discontent among the commoners.

Additionally, the old regime lacked political representation and responsiveness to the grievances of the Third Estate. The Estates-General, the representative body of the three estates, had a flawed voting system that favored the First and Second Estates. This meant that the Third Estate, despite making up the majority, had limited influence over decision-making processes.

Taken together, these factors contributed to deep-seated discontent with the old regime in France and ultimately led to widespread public dissatisfaction, setting the stage for the French Revolution.