Claim: The French Revolution began in 1789.

The estates general , a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm : the clergy -LRB- First Estate -RRB- , the nobility -LRB- Second Estate -RRB- , and the commoners -LRB- Third Estate -RRB- . Summoned by King Louis XVI , it was brought to an end when the Third Estate formed into a National Assembly , inviting the other two to join , against the wishes of the King . This signals the outbreak of the French Revolution .