What was the Dreyfus Affair?

The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided the Third French Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francophone world, and it remains one of the most notable examples of a complex miscarriage of justice and antisemitism. The role played by the press and public opinion proved influential in the conflict.

The scandal began in December 1894 when Captain Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason. Dreyfus was a 35-year-old Alsatian French artillery officer of Jewish descent. He was falsely convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for communicating French military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris, and was sent to Devil's Island in French Guiana, where he spent nearly five years.

In 1896, evidence came to light which identified the real culprit as a French Army major named Ferdinand Esterhazy. After high-ranking military officials suppressed the new evidence a military court unanimously acquitted Esterhazy. The Army then laid additional charges against Dreyfus, based on forged documents.

In 1899, Dreyfus was returned to France for another trial, which resulted in another conviction and a 10-year sentence, but Dreyfus was pardoned and released. In 1906, Dreyfus was exonerated and reinstated as a major in the French Army. He served during the whole of World War I, ending his service with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He died in 1935.