What forced the king to call a meeting of the Estates-General?

The correct answer, which indicates the king’s efforts to tax the Second Estate, is significant as it reflects an important moment in French history leading up to the French Revolution. The Estates-General was a general assembly representing the three estates of the realm: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and commoners (Third Estate).

Louis XVI called the Estates-General in 1789 primarily due to the financial crisis that France was facing. After years of extravagant spending and involvement in costly wars, including the American Revolution, the monarchy was deeply in debt. The Second Estate, composed of the nobility, had historically enjoyed numerous privileges, including exemption from many taxes. However, to address the financial crisis, King Louis XVI sought to levy taxes on them. This move was met with significant resistance from the nobility, who were unwilling to relinquish their privileges.

The previous avoidance of this assembly for over 175 years highlighted the intensity of the financial crisis; the king realized that he could no longer manage the state’s fiscal problems without consulting this assembly. This meeting ultimately provided a platform for the Third Estate, which included the vast majority of the population, to voice its grievances, pushing for reform and contributing to the revolutionary fervor that followed