The Dreyfus affair
The Dreyfus affair refers to the greatest political and moral scandal to hit France during the era of the Third Republic. The scandal revolved around the question of Captain Alfred Dreyfus’s guilt or innocence on the charges of treason (Nix 1). The army captain had been convicted for the sale of military secrets to the German government (Nix 1). One of the primary drivers of controversy in the case is the popular public opinion that the Captain’s status as a Jew naturally made him a traitor and thus guilty of the charges leveled against him. Through an analysis of the case, it is logical to present that during the late nineteenth-century European national attitudes where racially centered and anti-Semitic views were widespread within the society.
The highly anti-Semitic nature of European society during the late 19th century is William Brusten and Ryan Kings’s article, “Anti-Semitism in Europe Before the Holocaust.” Brustein and King (36) hold that the years leading to the end of the late nineteenth century represented a highpoint in anti-Semitic views across most western societies especially those in Europe. The theory of modernization holds that it facilitated the emergence of capitalism and liberalism in European society which lead to the economic, social, and political emancipation of Jews (Schulman 7). Brustein and King (36) hold that increased Jewish competition and social mobility elicited feelings of fear and hatred among a large number of non- Jews thereby reinforcing anti- Semitic views. Jews were viewed as elitist oppressors who did not deserve the opportunities they had gotten and thus public opinion was largely against them. Evidence of a highly anti-Semitic society is also reflected in the public chants of, “death to Judas, death to the Jew” (Nix 1).
The public racial chants against Captain Dreyfus serve to demonstrate the prevalence of racial profiling in European society. The case against him centered on his racial status as a Jew and not whether or not there was sufficient evidence to convict him. The proceedings against the captain demonstrate an extensive miscarriage of Justice against a person strictly because of his ethnic background. Despite there being evidence that proved the captain’s innocence and shifted the guilt to another French officer, the courts still found him guilty in two different appeals. The rulings made by the courts serve to demonstrate that the issue on the trail was not the Captain’s guilt but his ethnic background.
The Dreyfus affair also reveals that during the late nineteenth century, national identity was centered on one’s race. Individuals from minor racial groups were not perceived as competent nationalists. Dreyfus was presented as a symbol of the disloyal nature of French Jews and that all Jews did not possess the capacity to be true nationalists. The case presents the idea that national identity was a preserve for White Christians as they were the majority and the only true nationalists (Burns 34). The view of Jews as traitors was largely fueled by their scapegoating as the primary cause of most economic and social problems that Europeans were experiencing at the time.
The Dreyfus Affair presents insight into anti-Semitism in European society during the late nineteenth century. From the discussion, it is evident that anti-Semitism was fueled by negative racial perceptions of Jews. This resulted in their scapegoating as the source of problems in European countries. It also facilitated the miscarriage of justice against them and their portrayal as traitors and individuals who are incapable of exhibiting nationalistic ideals.