What was the primary cause of discontent among the French peasantry prior to the French Revolution?

The primary cause of discontent among the French peasantry prior to the French Revolution was the revival of taxes and feudal dues imposed by landowners. During this period, many peasants were already struggling with their livelihoods due to a combination of poor harvests and rising food prices, but the burden of feudal obligations intensified their grievances. Many landowners sought to recover losses from previous years and reimposed outdated dues and taxes that had been alleviated or ignored for some time. This created a palpable resentment among the peasant class, who felt exploited and oppressed by a system that benefited the nobility at their expense.

While high food prices did contribute to the overall economic strain on the peasantry, the direct obligations to landowners in the form of taxes and feudal dues were more immediate and tangible sources of frustration. Enlightenment thinkers certainly galvanized ideas about rights and governance that stirred revolutionary sentiments, but it was the daily realities of the peasantry's economic situation—specifically, their financial obligations to landowners—that fueled their discontent. Additionally, the lack of representation in government was a broader societal issue, but the daily economic pressures they faced were the immediate catalyst for their unrest leading up to the Revolution.