What is a reactant?

a an electron that participates in a chemical bond

b a sample of matter that is destroyed in a chemical change

c an amount of energy that causes a chemical reaction

d a substance that is altered in a chemical reaction

you did not attach the discourse, but i assume it to be the discourse on the origin and basis of inequality among men (the original titile in french is: "discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes"), also know as "second discourse". in this discourse, jean-jacques rousseau emphasizes that private property is the basis of all inequalities.

therefore, what enabled the old regime to maintain as long as it did was private property.