Foreshadowing means
a. hinting at things that will occur later.
b. putting secondary characters in the foreground of the story.
c. describing what happens at night—for example, in a dark basement.
d. showing the readers the dark side of a character's personality

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.