Plant hormones serve as chemical messengers between cells and tissues. auxin is a plant hormone that causes the cells on the shady side of a plant shoot to elongate. the response enabled by auxin is known as:

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.