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Money problems and new ideas about freedom combined to threaten and eventually overthrow the old French system of royal rule. Works like The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau influenced people who would later become important in the French Revolution. In 1787, King Louis XVI organised an Assembly of Notables to seek advice on tax reforms in order to solve the financial problems of the governement. There was a lot of disagreement and the suggestion to summon an Estates General was made.
An Estates General is an assembly of representatives of the three different Estates of France - clergy, nobles and commoners. This event is considered to be the start of the French revolution. Instead of the tax reforms that the King wanted, the Estates General provided thousands of complaints.
Louis XVI then attempted to close the Estates General but they took the Tennis Court Oath. They declared themselves to be the National Assembly with the aim of establishing a government in place of the absolute power of the king. They adopted the Rights of Man, abolished feudalism and set up a parliament.
Related Test: KS3 History Practice Test: The French Revolution - The Downfall Of King Louis XVI
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