1789
August 1788
The estates general had 3 estates, commoners, clergy, and nobility. Parliament had 2, commoners and nobility. More important, the estates general had given the king the ability to levy taxes. Parliament never gave the king that authority. As a result the British Parliament met constantly because the king always needed money. The estates general stopped meeting after it gave the king the power to levy taxes. When things became a total mess and the laws needed to be changed, then King Louis xvi had to call a meeting of the Estates General. At that point things got out of hand and the French Revolution started.
The problem when the king called for the meeting of the Estates General in 1789 was that the Third Estate, representing the commoners, felt marginalized and underrepresented compared to the First and Second Estates, representing the clergy and nobility, respectively. The voting system in the Estates General gave each estate one vote, despite the Third Estate having a much larger population. This led to tensions and ultimately sparked the French Revolution as the Third Estate demanded equal representation and more political power.
King Louis XVI called the Estates-General into session in May 1789 primarily to address the financial crisis facing France. The government was heavily in debt, and attempts to reform the tax system had failed, leading to widespread discontent. By convening the Estates-General, he aimed to gain support for new tax measures and hoped to quell the growing unrest among the populace. However, this decision ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution.
Monsieur Lomenie de Brienne was the finance minister of Louis XVI at the time. He wanted to introduce a series of economizations, but the notables did not approve of his plans. He begged the King to take a stand, but Louis XVI hesitated. La Fayette was the one that advised Louis XVI to call for the Estates General. Eventually, Louis XVI took this advice, but realized that this was a very serious blow to the monarchy. Though he was forced to, because if he would have objected to summon them, the whole country would have been in a huge uprising. The bourgeoisie believed the only way to overthrow the monarchy was to summon the Estates General. They were right.
By calling the Estates-General Louis the XIV would be at a disadvantage because it would give more power to the 1st Estate and the 2nd Estate. He would be losing power and he had no reason to call on the Estates-General. Louis the XVIII had to call on the Estates-General because the country was about to go bankrupt and he had no other choice but to call on the Estates-General and ask them for a loan.
The opening session was held on 5 May 1789.
In the build-up to the violent outbreak of the French Revolution, a meeting of the three-part Estates-General was in fact called by Louis XVI (rather than Louis XIV) in order to gain support for needed economic reforms. Meeting in May of 1789, the Estates-General soon took the initiative for reforms far beyond those envisioned by the French king.
The meetong of the Estates General was called by King Louis XVI because of the huge French National debt.
August 1788
No, he didn't, but Louis XVI did in 1789
The estates general had 3 estates, commoners, clergy, and nobility. Parliament had 2, commoners and nobility. More important, the estates general had given the king the ability to levy taxes. Parliament never gave the king that authority. As a result the British Parliament met constantly because the king always needed money. The estates general stopped meeting after it gave the king the power to levy taxes. When things became a total mess and the laws needed to be changed, then King Louis xvi had to call a meeting of the Estates General. At that point things got out of hand and the French Revolution started.
The Estates General was called at the discretion of the king. For 175 years, no monarch had chosen to call a meeting. Louis XVI was flummoxed over what to do about France's economic problems, as well as how voting should be done. The Third Estate was at a disadvantage when the vote went by estate, since the First and Second Estates tended to vote together.
In preparation for the Estates General, Louis XVI had the three estates compile cahiers that stated their grievances against the government. There was also the formation of the National Assembly, which in turn started the Tennis Court Oaths.
He wanted to find a way to solve the financial crisis issue
The problem when the king called for the meeting of the Estates General in 1789 was that the Third Estate, representing the commoners, felt marginalized and underrepresented compared to the First and Second Estates, representing the clergy and nobility, respectively. The voting system in the Estates General gave each estate one vote, despite the Third Estate having a much larger population. This led to tensions and ultimately sparked the French Revolution as the Third Estate demanded equal representation and more political power.
France was in a deep financial crisis and the king wanted to find a way to solve this issue. The Estates General meeting was Louis XVI's last chance to meet the representatives of every French citizen (from the richest too the poorest) to debate on the situation. Source: http://bastille-day.com/history/Economic-Cause