The Dreyfus Affair

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the setting and political backdrop behind the 1886 arrest of French Jewish military officer Alfred Dreyfus for passing on documents to the German army. It examines how he was was arrested, not allowed to have contact with anyone outside the prison, pressured into a false confession, court-martialed behind closed doors, and convicted. It looks at the attempts to prove him innocent, including those of prominent journalist Emil Zola, and how he was eventually acquitted and returned from Devil's Island in 1896.

From the Paper:

"Still determined to protect their reputation instead of promoting the truth, the military charged Zola with the very serious French crime of "slandering the military." (Editor, 1998) Zola was found guilty, and he was sentenced to a year in jail (Staff writers, 2004). He managed to escape to England and thus avoid going to jail, and continued his campaign from there to free Dreyfus (Editor, 1998). As the efforts of the military cover-up became more and more obvious, intellectuals around the world spoke out for Zola, who had previously criticized the French press for their anti-Semitism (Editor, 1998). At this point the Dreyfus affair had become completely politicized with Royalists, military and nationalist factions all taking one stand, with Republicans, socialists and anti-clerical groups on the other side (Staff writers, 2004)."

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