Dreyfus affair

Cultural  

1. A scandal in France at the end of the nineteenth century involving a Jewish army officer, Alfred Dreyfus. Dreyfus was falsely convicted of betraying French military secrets and was sentenced to life imprisonment. French society was deeply divided over Dreyfus, with liberals, including Émile Zola and Georges Clemenceau, arguing that he was innocent, and conservatives defending the French military authorities. Dislike of Jews (see also Jews) also affected the opinions of many in France about the incident. Zola's article “J'accuse” (“I accuse”) strongly influenced the public in Dreyfus's favor. Dreyfus was eventually cleared of all charges, reinstated in the army with a promotion, and publicly honored.

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Example Sentences

The kind of high point, the peak of his trajectory, was kind of preparing the ground for the Dreyfus affair, which began in 1894 with the arrest of the Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus.

From Slate

And, in killing Capt. Mayer, he underscored the idea that the traitor was inside the army—a concept that obviously was key in the Dreyfus affair.

From Slate

Hannah Arendt wrote that fascism wouldn’t have developed the way it did without the Dreyfus affair, and briefly mentioned that Morès’ antisemitic activities shaped the way that unfolded.

From Slate

The accusation, based on a comparison of handwriting on a document found in the German's wastepaper basket in Paris, kicked off what would become known as the "Dreyfus affair".

From Barron's

He’d always been stubborn—that was clear from the Dreyfus affair—but now he was becoming a caricature of himself.

From Literature