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Africa in the Age of Imperialism - Saskatoon Public Schools

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The ‘Dreyfus Affaire’<br />

• In 1894, Capta<strong>in</strong> Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), an<br />

<strong>of</strong>ficer on <strong>the</strong> French general staff, is accused <strong>of</strong><br />

spy<strong>in</strong>g for Germany, France's opponent <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> last<br />

war. The only evidence is a scrap <strong>of</strong> paper,<br />

retrieved from <strong>the</strong> wastebasket by a clean<strong>in</strong>g<br />

woman, with handwrit<strong>in</strong>g that does not much<br />

resemble that <strong>of</strong> Dreyfus. But Dreyfus is Jewish,<br />

<strong>the</strong> only Jew on <strong>the</strong> general staff. And Jews are<br />

considered people without a fa<strong>the</strong>rland,<br />

<strong>in</strong>sufficiently loyal to <strong>the</strong> country <strong>the</strong>y live <strong>in</strong>.<br />

• Dreyfus is convicted, partly on evidence forged by<br />

anti-Semitic <strong>of</strong>ficers, and sentenced to life<br />

imprisonment on Devil's Island <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong> coast <strong>of</strong><br />

South America.<br />

The Dreyfus Affair sent France<br />

<strong>in</strong>to yet ano<strong>the</strong>r crisis. Writers<br />

everywhere began to speak out<br />

aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> wrongful<br />

conviction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jewish<br />

capta<strong>in</strong> and divided France<br />

<strong>in</strong>to two political camps:<br />

Dreyfusards and Anti-<br />

Dreyfusards.

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