What was a major factor contributing to the outbreak of the French Revolution?

The major factor contributing to the outbreak of the French Revolution was social inequality among the Estates. In France, society was divided into three distinct estates: the First Estate (clergy), the Second Estate (nobility), and the Third Estate (commoners), which included the bourgeoisie, workers, and peasants. The Third Estate bore the burden of heavy taxation and had little political power compared to the other two estates, despite being the most populous and economically significant.

This glaring inequality led to widespread discontent among the Third Estate, as they felt marginalized and oppressed by the privileges enjoyed by the First and Second Estates. The revolutionary ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity, inspired by Enlightenment thinkers, further fueled their demands for social and political reform. The Estates-General in 1789 revealed the growing tensions when the Third Estate was consistently outvoted and sidelined, leading directly to their break from the assembly and the formation of the National Assembly, which was a pivotal moment in the revolution.

Other factors mentioned, such as overproduction of goods, lack of military involvement, and expansion of French territory, did not play as central a role in sparking the revolution. The economic issues related to overproduction were more about the financial crisis resulting from