Who faced unfair taxation in France for centuries before the French Revolution?

Before the French Revolution, the common people of France, particularly those belonging to the Third Estate, faced unfair taxation. The French society was divided into three estates: the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (nobility), and the Third Estate (commoners, which included the bourgeoisie, urban workers, and peasants). The First and Second Estates were largely exempt from many taxes due to their privileges, particularly the Taille (a direct land tax on the Third Estate).

The Third Estate, which constituted around 98% of the population, was burdened with almost all of the taxation necessary to support the extravagant spending of the monarchy, the costs of wars, and the debt incurred from such activities. Additionally, the Third Estate had to pay tithes to the Church (the First Estate) and feudal dues to the nobility (the Second Estate). This inequitable tax system put immense financial pressure on the common people and contributed significantly to the growing discontent that eventually sparked the French Revolution.

Extra: Understanding this social stratification is crucial to seeing why the French Revolution occurred. The Ancien Régime, as it was called, was a centuries-old system where the First and Second Estates enjoyed many privileges, including a lighter tax burden. This inequality was one of the central grievances of the Revolution.

The Taille was one of the most common forms of taxation, but there were others as well. The Capitation was a poll tax to which the Third Estate was also subject, and the Gabelle was an unpopular tax on salt. What aggravated the situation was that France in the late 18th century was facing economic difficulties, including rising bread prices, which hit the poor of the Third Estate particularly hard.

The unfair tax system played a significant role in diminishing the Third Estate's tolerance for the Ancien Régime and fueled demands for more representation and fairness, which were central to the revolutionary movement. The Estates-General meeting in 1789 served as a platform for these demands, but when it failed to address them, it led to the radicalization of the Third Estate representatives and the subsequent storming of the Bastille, which is often marked as the beginning of the French Revolution.