Humanities CLEP Prep Practice Exam 2025 - Free Humanities CLEP Practice Questions and Study Guide

The French Revolution fundamentally transformed the social structure of France by abolishing the traditional nobility, which had enjoyed significant privileges and power under the Ancien Régime. Prior to the revolution, society was divided into three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the common people (the Third Estate). The revolution, fueled by demands for equality and justice, led to the dismantling of feudal privileges that the nobility held. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaimed the equality of all men before the law, effectively nullifying the legal distinctions that had supported the nobility’s status.

This radical change did not merely remove the titles and privileges of the nobles but also sought to reorganize power structures within the society, paving the way for new forms of government that promoted more democratic ideals. The revolutionaries aimed to create a society based on merit rather than birth, which significantly disrupted the long-standing social hierarchy.

The other choices evoke realities that either did not occur or were not principles championed by the revolutionaries. For instance, while the revolution did create new power dynamics, it was not characterized as the establishment of an oppressive class but rather as a struggle for the rights of the common people. The idea that it eliminated the concept