Dreyfuksen

Captain Alfred Dreyfus was a French artillery officer of Alsatian-Jewish descent who became the central figure in the Dreyfus Affair, a political scandal that deeply divided France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born on October 9, 1859, in Mulhouse, then part of the German Empire, Dreyfus joined the French military after the region was ceded to France following the Franco-Prussian War. He was known for his intelligence, discipline, and dedication to duty, earning promotions and recognition for his service.

In 1894, Dreyfus was falsely accused of treason for allegedly passing military secrets to Germany. The evidence against him was circumstantial, primarily based on a forged document written in an obscure cipher. Despite his protests of innocence, Dreyfus was convicted in a highly publicized trial and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island, a penal colony in French Guiana. The verdict was widely accepted by the French military and much of the public, fueled by anti-Semitism and nationalist sentiment.

The affair took a dramatic turn in 1896 when Émile Zola, a prominent journalist and writer, published *J’Accuse…!*, an open letter to the president denouncing the miscarriage of justice. Zola’s exposé reignited public debate and exposed the flaws in the original trial. Further investigations revealed that the real traitor, Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterházy, had been protected by high-ranking military officials. Dreyfus was granted a retrial in 1899, but he was again convicted, though the sentence was reduced to ten years. He was finally pardoned in 1899 and fully exonerated in 1906 after a final court-martial.

Dreyfus’s case highlighted systemic corruption, anti-Semitism, and the dangers of unchecked authority within the French military. His eventual rehabilitation became a symbol of justice and reform, contributing to broader social and political changes in France. Dreyfus himself remained a controversial figure, though his legacy endures as a testament to the fight against injustice. He died in Paris on July 12, 1935, having spent much of his later life advocating for veterans and victims of the affair.