Sure, let's break down and answer each of the questions one by one:
1. The Third Estate was the common people or the lower class in French society before the French Revolution. It included everyone who was not part of the clergy or nobility. They were the majority of the population but had the least amount of wealth and privileges.
2. Around 1789, the situation of the peasants and the poor in France was dire. The peasants faced heavy taxation, feudal obligations, and limited rights. Many of them lived in poverty and struggled to make a living due to harsh conditions imposed by the feudal system. The poor, including urban workers, faced similar hardships with low wages, high prices for basic goods, and little social mobility.
3. France's participation in the wars of independence of the English colonies, like the American Revolutionary War, had a significant impact on the economy of France. The cost of supporting the American colonies in their fight against Britain put a strain on France's finances. This financial strain, coupled with existing economic issues and a regressive tax system that burdened the common people, contributed to the economic crisis that eventually led to the French Revolution in 1789.
