The Third Estate in pre-revolutionary France was composed of the common people, including peasants, artisans, and the urban poor. They constituted the vast majority of the population but had little political power or social status compared to the clergy (First Estate) and the nobility (Second Estate). The Third Estate was often burdened with heavy taxes and subjected to oppressive feudal obligations, which fueled widespread resentment and contributed to the revolutionary fervor that eventually led to the French Revolution.