The symbol of anti-Semitism in France: Who is Alfred Dreyfus?

Alfred Dreyfus was born on October 9, 1859, in Mulhouse, France. He is a French officer of Jewish origin. He moved with his family from Mulhouse, where he was born and raised, to Alsace in 1870. He went to Ecole Polytechnique University in Paris in 1877 and graduated as a second lieutenant in 1880. He completed his artillery officer training at the Fontainebleau Artillery School between 1880 and 1882.

He became a captain in 1888. He also graduated from the explosives school in Bada Bourges. He completed military school in 1889.

Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry from Alsace whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. The incident has gone down in history as the Dreyfus affair, the reverberations from which were felt throughout Europe. It ultimately ended with Dreyfus' complete exoneration.

In order to hinder this brilliant officer and prevent him from becoming an officer, the Director of the War School, General Bonnefond, uses a particularly interesting method, constantly cutting and lowering his grades. But despite General Bonnefond, Dreyfus' record remains untouched. In this register it is written: 'He is in good enough health. It is of a moderate nature. He is well-educated and dressed well. His general education/culture is very broad. His theoretical military education and practical skills are very good. He is very successful and very good as a manager. He speaks German very well. A good horse rider. He received his diploma with good grades. He is an officer who understands the problems very well and whose perception power is lively and agile, who works constantly and adapts to staff services very quickly.

Officers named Hubert Joseph Henry and Du Paty Clam, who worked in the same institution and could not tolerate his success, denounced Alfred by forging documents accusing him of selling the secrets of the French Army to Germany.

When he was tried on October 15, 1894, the case of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused of selling France's military secrets to the Germans, had repercussions not only in France but also around the world.

Following a letter sent to Major Max von Schwartzkoppen, the German military attache in Paris, Captain Dreyfus was court-martialed for treason. In the letter sent to the German military attaché, a summary of the French's secret military plans was written. Since Dreyfus's handwriting matched the text in this letter, it was assumed that the captain was guilty. Although Dreyfus claimed his innocence in court, no one listened to him. The defendant was convicted.

Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment and exiled to the terrifying Devil's Island in French Guiana. Even as his insignia and epaulets were being removed, Alfred said: "I am innocent... Long live France!" He continued to shout. The reporter of the Vienna-based "Neue Press" newspaper was among those who watched this sad ceremony.

One of the reasons why Dreyfus was considered guilty was that he was the child of a Jewish family. After that, the Dreyfus affair was forgotten for about two years.

At that time, when the famous French writer Emile Zola defended Dreyfus by publishing an article called "I Accuse", he was taken to court and sentenced to prison. Since writers such as Clemenceau, Rousseau, Anatole France, Joseph Reinach, and Charles Peguy began to side with Dreyfus, those who had the opposite opinion were gradually losing their influence. As a result of these efforts, Alfred Dreyfus gained the right to be tried in a civilian court. At that time, while Esterhazy was fleeing to London, Major H J Henry committed suicide in 1898 by leaving a letter in which he confessed his guilt... Alfred's efforts were not fruitless. He was declared innocent in 1906.

Alfred Dreyfus married Lucie Hadamard on April 18, 1891. They had two children, Jeanne Dreyfus and Pierre Dreyfus.

Alfred Dreyfus died in Paris, France, on July 12, 1935, at the age of 76.