determine whether you are walking upstream or downstream along a dry mountain stream if you notice that the shape of the sediment is getting more angular as you continue walking

answer; i believe the answer is hydraulic action;

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.

yes, because even though a theory has a  lot of evidence to support it, it is not always true