Final answer:
The Third Estate was alarmed by heavy taxation, food shortages, and a national debt that primarily affected them while the upper estates had tax exemptions. Consequently, these economic burdens led to their increased agitation and participation in events that sparked the French Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Economic Problems Leading to the Concerns of the Third Estate
The Third Estate in France faced severe economic hardship prior to the French Revolution, which increased their sense of alarm and dissatisfaction. The economic problems stemmed from a combination of extensive taxation, food shortages, and national debt. The Third Estate, which included peasants and the burgeoning middle class, shouldered the burden of taxes while the First and Second Estates (the clergy and nobility) enjoyed exemptions. Moreover, repeated crop failures led to famine and skyrocketing food prices, exacerbating the misery of the masses. The crisis was further aggravated by the French monarchy's considerable debt, due in part to its support for the American Revolutionary War and lavish royal spending. The near-bankruptcy of the French Crown forced King Louis XVI to convene the Estates-General to propose new taxes, a move that led to the eventual political mobilization of the Third Estate and set the stage for the French Revolution.
King Louis XVI's attempts at tax reform and the calling of the Estates-General in 1789 signified an opportunity for change but also revealed the deep-seated inequalities and political disenfranchisement of the Third Estate. As the economic crisis unfolded, popular uprisings occurred, such as the storming of the Bastille, symbolizing the populace's resistance against the monarchy. The formation of the National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath were pivotal events, during which the Third Estate took decisive action in defiance of the established order, culminating in their refusal to pay taxes and redistribution of land.