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2 verifications about Third Estate Third Estate ×
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True 9/10
“In the Estates-General of France, each of the three Estates had one vote, allowing the First Estate and Second Estate to outvote the Third Estate.”
The historical evidence supports the claim’s core point. Under the traditional Estates-General system, each estate voted as a bloc, so the clergy and nobility could outvote the Third Estate two votes to one. The important caveat is that in 1789 this procedure was disputed, which became a major cause of the political crisis.
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Mostly True 8/10
“In 1789, the Third Estate comprised about 96% of the population of France.”
The claim is broadly accurate, though the best-supported estimate is somewhat higher. Stronger historical references usually place the Third Estate at roughly 97–98% of France’s population near 1789, while some educational sources give 95–96%. Saying "about 96%" slightly understates the dominant estimate but still captures the basic fact that the Third Estate made up almost all of the population.