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Dreyfus' Wrongful Conviction
- Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery officer, was wrongfully convicted of espionage based on flimsy evidence and antisemitic bias.
- He was exiled to Devil's Island, suffered severe mental health issues, yet remained patriotic throughout.
Anti-Semitism and Division in France
- Anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories fueled the Dreyfus Affair, reflecting deep societal divisions in France.
- The Republican elite and conservative Catholics clashed, each blaming the other and minorities for France's ills post-1870 defeat.
Universalism Versus Nationalism
- The Dreyfus Affair symbolizes the clash between universalism and nationalist identity in France.
- It exposed polarized camps that mistook complex social struggles for a simple dichotomy of good versus evil.