A major political crisis during the Third Republic, the Dreyfus Affair involved a French officer of Jewish faith in a spy scandal: he was wrongfully accused of passing secret documents to Germany.
The Third Republic faced political and economic crises and governmental instability, compounded by the trauma of Germany’s annexation of Alsace and Moselle (1871). This context fueled the most extreme forms of nationalism and anti-Semitism, which were stoked by an influential press.
As early as November 1, 1894, *La Libre Parole*, Edouard Drumont’s daily newspaper—which made anti-Semitism its main cause—ran the headline “Arrest of Jewish Officer Dreyfus,” accused of treason in favor of Germany. On December 22, 1894, Dreyfus was convicted by a court-martial after a three-day trial held behind closed doors, based on “evidence” kept secret, which would later be proven to be forged. In January 1895, Alfred Dreyfus was stripped of his rank and exiled to Devil’s Island off the coast of French Guiana.
The press picked up on the story; little by little, France became divided between Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusards, and anti-Semitism ran rampant.
On January 13, 1898, the writer Émile Zola published an open letter in the daily newspaper L’Aurore addressed to the President of the Republic, Félix Faure, titled “J’accuse,” in which he sought to establish “the truth, first and foremost, about the trial and conviction of Dreyfus.”
On June 3, 1899, Dreyfus was brought before the Court-Martial in Rennes and left Devil’s Island. In September, he was once again found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. Ten days later, President Émile Loubet signed his pardon.
On July 12, 1906, the Court of Cassation overturned the 1899 verdict and declared*: “Nothing remains of the charges brought against Dreyfus.” It issued a ruling exonerating Captain Dreyfus.
References:
– Pierre Birnbaum, 1994, *The Dreyfus Affair: The Republic in Peril*, Gallimard, “Découvertes” series.
– Jean-Denis Bredin, 1981, *L’Affaire*, Fayard, Paris.
*Decision of the Court of Cassation dated July 12, 1906.
