Why did the French monarchy collapse in 1792? To begin to answer this question, we must first return to the Estates General of 1789. Although the assembly had not been convened since 1641, more than 150 years earlier, Louis XVI was not prepared to authorize a significant change in procedure; in November 1788, the king had granted double representation to the Third Party but had also maintained voting by orders. In such a system, the first and second estates were fortunate enough to always be in the majority, with most of the upper echelons of the Catholic Church being made up of nobles. Thus, despite their overwhelming majority, both in the meeting rooms of the Estates General and throughout the country, the commons had little power. Historians Mora Ozouf and Keith Baker have both discussed the importance of the emergence of the public sphere during this period which gave rise to hundreds of political satires, pamphlets and caricatures which were used to great effect. devastating to denounce the lack of influence that the Third Estate was capable of exercising. Through these mediums, the commons began to question the legitimacy of a strictly hierarchical society and, even more troubling with respect to the upper classes, began to suggest that the Third Estate, due to his work, was the only true citizen of the world. French nation, as explained in Father Sieyes' pamphlet “What is the Third Estate”. It seems that instead of engaging in these issues, the king "surrendered to the reactionary elements at court", notably to the Princes of the Blood who, in December 1788, had published a memorandum denouncing the various reform proposals advanced by the Third Estate in 1788. anticipation of the Estates General. June 17 the r...... middle of paper ......a, Gail. Company. In La France d'Ancien Régime edited by W. Doyle, pp.43-77. Oxford, 2001Gail Bossenga, “Society”. in La France d’Ancien Régime, ed. W. Doyle, p. Hampson, Norman. A social history of the French Revolution. London, 1963Norman Hampson. A social history of the French Revolution (London, 1963) p.Gardiner, BM The French Revolution 1789-1795. London, 1905.BM Gardiner. The French Revolution 1789-1795 (London 1905) p. 95Chateau de Versailles Web http://fr.chateauversailles.fr/history/the-great-days/most-important-dates/1789-the-departure-of-the-king, consulted on 11/16/13Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolutionhttp://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/309/, consulted on 11/16/13Catholic Encyclopediahttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13009a.htm, consulted on 11/22 /13Alpha Historyhttp://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/emigres/, consulted 22/11/13