Captain Alfred Dreyfus
Prologue: The First Dreyfus Affair
If you’ve never heard of the famous ‘Dreyfus Affair before, you may have skipped modern history at school.
Strictly speaking, it was a French affair – but it soon became famous far beyond the borders of France, in the 1890s and first decade of the 20th Century. The press gave the evolving saga feverish coverage.
French society was deeply shaken by the apparent scandal of injustice to a Jewish French Army captain, accused of spying for the Germans. Many took the side of Dreyfus and protested his innocence; others proclaimed his guilt. It was the ‘O.J. Simpson case’ of the era, with impacts that were considerably more significant.
Most popular historical accounts suggest Alfred Dreyfus was indeed innocent of the spying charges. I have no idea – but I’m quite prepared to accept that. My interest in mentioning the case is not to re-open it.
A French Family Discusses the Dreyfus Affair: before and after
In the mid-1890s, much of the French nation divided into ‘Dreyfusards’ and ‘anti-Dreyfusards. Families quarreled over the topic.
Eventually, Dreyfus was judged innocent, brought back from imprisonment on Devil’s Island and granted a Presidential pardon. But Europe was changed by the incident. The whole world was changed.
By the end of the Dreyfus Affair, there was a new political movement – complete with a ‘Founding Father’ – as well as a new, very widely-used term (with variants in numerous languages).
