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.
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The Estates General had existed for centuries, while the National Assembly was formed in 1789. - Apex
There were two. The first was the storming of the Bastille on July 14th 1789. The second was the Tennis Court Oath. When Louis XVI had to convoke the Estates General, the third estate (the bourgeoisie) ordered to double their numbers in the Estates General, because the majority of France existed of Bourgeoisie. The others 2 estates (the nobility and the clergy) did not agree with this, but the King gave in to the third estate. When the Estates General met, they had on one occasion locked out the third estates members. They went to a nearby tennis court at Versailles and swore they would not dissemble until a constitution for France would be drawn up and accepted. Both occasions were significant for the beginning of the French Revolution.
The French Revolution began in 1789. The traditional legislature of France before the Revolution was the Estates-General, although this body had not met in over 100 years.