The French Revolution was caused by several factors including war debt, lavish royal spending, heavy taxes placed on the common people, and Enlightenment ideas promoting equality and liberty that spread discontent. France was divided into three estates with the First Estate being clergy, Second Estate being nobles, and Third Estate being everyone else including the bourgeoisie and peasants. The Third Estate, which made up 97% of the population, paid a disproportionate amount of taxes and tithes while the top two estates were largely exempt despite owning most of the land. As economic troubles grew and Enlightenment thinkers promoted new ideas, resentment towards the monarchy and aristocracy increased setting the stage for revolution.