Question

Identify each cause of the French Revolution as social, political, or economic.

Answer 1

I think that the causes of the French Revolution are the following:

1) ECONOMIC cause is the unequal tax burden between the estates 
2) SOCIAL cause is the division of French citizens into three estates
3) POLITICAL cause is the unequal representation of the third estate in the Estates-General

Answer 2

Economic ---> unequal tax burden between the estates

This is a major economic factor of the French Revolution. Before 1789, there were unequal taxes, for example, commoners, merchants, and peasants, the majority of the population, had to pay land taxes for any land they owned, while noblemen were exempt of those taxes in spite they owned and inherited large pieces of land.

Social ---> the division of French citizens into three estates

This is a social factor because it refers to the composition of society. Before the revolution, the French society was divided into three estates: clergy, nobility, and commoners. Each estate had an assembly that symbolically represented them as advisory bodies for the king. The third estate, the commoners, were the majority of the population, the basis of the economy, and in general, they were under very poor conditions, compared to the first and second estates.

Political ---> unequal representation of the third estate in the Estates-General

Since the first and second estates were more wealthy, they had more power of lobbying and influence over the king. The commoners were underrepresented in the political system and their demands were completely ignored by the monarchic government. This led the third estate to start a revolution and finally overthrow the regime.