About what proportion of France's population were peasants?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: About 90%
The governing concept is the demographic composition of the Third Estate in eighteenth-century France. Peasants formed the overwhelming majority of the population, commonly described in school history accounts as about 90 percent of France’s people. This figure is an approximate historical estimate rather than a precise modern census result. It shows that agriculture and rural society were central to the country, while the clergy, nobility, urban workers and middle class formed much smaller groups. Therefore, option A is correct. Twenty, forty or sixty percent would seriously underestimate the size of the peasant population. Despite being so numerous, peasants carried many taxes and feudal obligations, which helps explain their dissatisfaction with the old regime.
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What is the correct answer to this question?
About 90%
Why is this the correct answer?
The governing concept is the demographic composition of the Third Estate in eighteenth-century France. Peasants formed the overwhelming majority of the population, commonly described in school history accounts as about 90 percent of France’s people. This figure is an approximate historical estimate rather than a precise modern census result. It shows that agriculture and rural society were central to the country, while the clergy, nobility, urban workers and middle class formed much smaller groups. Therefore, option A is correct. Twenty, forty or sixty percent would seriously underestimate the size of the peasant population. Despite being so numerous, peasants carried many taxes and feudal obligations, which helps explain their dissatisfaction with the old regime.
Which subject and chapter does this question cover?
This is a Class 9 History question. Chapter: The French Revolution. Topic: French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century.
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