Estates-General of 1789

The Estates-General of 1789 was the first meeting of the French Estates-General, a general assembly consisting of representatives from all but the poorest segment of the French citizenry, since 1614. The independence which it displayed from the crown paved the way for the French Revolution.

Background

Among the direct causes of the French Revolution was a massive financial crisis caused by France's enormous debt, the government's lavish spending, and an archaic system of taxation which brought little money to the national coffers by placing the greatest tax burden upon the Third Estate (in theory, all of the commoners; in practice, the bourgeoisie), while virtually ignoring the First Estate (the clergy) and the Second Estate (the nobility). Successive attempts at reforming the system had proven fruitless in the face of opposition from the First and Second Estates.

Related Topics:
Causes of the French Revolution - Debt - Taxation - Third Estate - Bourgeoisie - First Estate - Clergy - Second Estate - Nobility

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On February 22, 1787, Charles Alexandre de Calonne, the minister of finances, convened an assembly of notables to deal with the financial situation. On July 13, the assembly demanded that Louis XVI call the Estates-General, and on December 18, the king promised to do so within five years. By this time, Calonne had been succeeded as finance minister by his chief critic, Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne; Brienne was in turn succeeded by Jacques Necker, a former finance minister who was sympathetic to the Third Estate. With Necker once again in charge of the nation's finances, the king, on August 8, 1788, agreed to convene the Estates-General in May of 1789.

Related Topics:
February 22 - 1787 - Charles Alexandre de Calonne - Assembly of notables - July 13 - Louis XVI - December 18 - Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne - Jacques Necker - August 8 - 1788 - 1789

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