The Dreyfus Affair: Honour and Politics in the Belle Époque (European History in Perspective)

The Dreyfus Affai r comprises attempted assassinations, suicides, perjury, forgeries, invective, stunning reversals and abortive coups d'état , involving the honour and destiny of an individual and of France. It is also a mystery tale that reveals the preoccupations and divisions of France and Europe at the turn of the century. At its centre is the unjust imprisonment upon Devil's Island of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jew convicted of a crime he did not commit, who was in part the victim of an ancient prejudice. As the gravest crisis of the Third Republic, the Dreyfus Affair transformed French politics; as a crucial episode in the history of racial nationalism, it marked the transition from traditional to racial anti-Semitism; and as an explosive struggle for human rights and judicial equity, it, for the first time, engaged academics, writers and artists as self-conscious 'intellectuals' in French politics. The Dreyfus Affair explores how the trial of one man became l'Affaire , with all its consequences. A history of the Dreyfus Affair, focusing mainly on the period from the case of the "bordereau" and the trial in 1894 to the Rennes trial in 1899. The Affair, which shook the whole of France and tore apart its society, began with a mistake, but continued as a chain of illegalities and falsifications. Dreyfus' Jewishness was not the only reason why he was chosen to be the traitor, but it also played a role in a country where antisemitism and race consciousness reached alarming proportions. Stresses the complexity of the Affair; not all the anti-Dreyfusards were antisemitic extremists, and many details of the case remain mysterious up to the present. For all sides, the Affair became a litmus test of patriotism or republicanism, of rationality or morality. Discusses the crucial role of Mathieu Dreyfus and Zola, and also of Henry's forgery, in the rehabilitation of Alfred Dreyfus. The Affair marginalized, but also racialized, antisemitism in France; on the other hand, it definitively established the Republic. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism) The Dreyfus Affair comprises attempted assassinations, suicides, perjury, forgeries, invective, stunning reversals and abortive coups d'etat, involving the honour and destiny of an individual and of France. It is also a mystery tale that reveals the preoccupations and divisions of France and Europe at the turn of the century. At its centre is the unjust imprisonment upon Devil's Island of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jew convicted of a crime he did not commit, who was in part the victim of an ancient prejudice. As the gravest crisis of the Third Republic, the Dreyfus Affair transformed French politics; as a crucial episode in the history of racial nationalism, it marked the transition from traditional to racial anti-Semitism; and as an explosive struggle for human rights and judicial equity, it, for the first time, engaged academics, writers and artists as self-conscious 'intellectuals' in French politics. The Dreyfus Affair explores how the trial of one man became l'Affaire, with all its consequences." Pt. I. Theoretical Foundations. The 'founding Fathers' -- Pt. Ii. The Parting Of The Ways. German Social Democracy ; Russian Marxism ; War And Revolution. -- Pt. Iii. Communism In The Soviet Union. The Rise Of Stalinism ; Late Stalinism To Gorbachev. -- Pt. Iv. Communism In Europe. Communism In West Europe Since The First World War ; Communism In East Europe. -- Pt. V. Disintegration. The Collapse Of Communism In The Soviet Union And East Europe. -- Appendix A: The Disintegration Of The Soviet Union. -- Appendix B: The Collapse Of Communism In East Europe. Ronald Kowalski. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 251-257) And Index. "The First World War has left its imprint on British society and the popular imagination to an extent almost unparalleled in modern history. Its legacy of mass death, mechanized slaughter, propaganda, and disillusionment swept away long-standing romanticized images of warfare, and continues to haunt the modern consciousness." "Focusing on the lives of ordinary Britons, George Robb's engaging new study seeks to comprehend what it meant for an entire society to undergo the tremendous shocks and demands of total war; how it attempted to make sense of the conflict, explain it to others, and deal with the war's legacies."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-xi In Search of a Traitor (1894)....Pages 1-17 A Trial, an Exile (1894–1895)....Pages 18-38 The Petit Bleu (1896–1897)....Pages 39-65 A Successful Collusion (Autumn 1897)....Pages 66-86 The Grand Affaire (1898)....Pages 87-109 In the Balance (1898–1899)....Pages 110-128 Rennes and Rehabilitation (1899–1906)....Pages 129-149 Conclusion....Pages 150-158 Back Matter....Pages 159-171 The Dreyfus Affair comprises attempted assassinations, suicides, perjury, forgeries, invective, stunning reversals and abortive coups d'etat, involving the honour and destiny of an individual and of France. Dreyfus was a Jew, falsely convicted With the Second World War came the end of the Nazi domination of Europe and Japanese aggression in the Asia Pacific. However, this created two superpowers and the Cold War. This study looks at the causes of this and of its consequences In this concise yet comprehensive study, Brendan Simms shows why Prussia had emerged as the dominant German state by the middle of the 19th century