Dreyfus affair

[ (dreye-fuhs, dray-fuhs) ]

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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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Words nearby Dreyfus affair

dressy casual, drest, drew, drey, Dreyfus, Dreyfus affair, Dreyfusard, DRG, drib, dribble, driblet

How to use Dreyfus affair in a sentence

Now dying of cancer, the Dreyfus Affair jolts him self-rediscovery.
David's Bookclub: The Guermantes Way|David Frum|September 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Strauss-Kahn affair is obviously unrelated to the Dreyfus affair.
5 Lessons of the DSK Affair|Bernard-Henri Lévy|July 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It is a worldview that takes its name from the French nationalist writer, contemporary of the Dreyfus Affair, Maurice Barrès.
5 Lessons of the DSK Affair|Bernard-Henri Lévy|July 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Among the circumstances which contributed to the continuance of the anti-Christian spirit must be reckoned the Dreyfus affair.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham

Socialism, also, found in the Dreyfus affair, a pretext for the solidification of its forces.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham
The Dreyfus affair broke, and set the very foundations of France quivering.
Roosevelt in the Bad Lands|H. Hagedorn.
We have a recent and very striking instance of this kind in the origin and evolution of the notorious Dreyfus affair.
The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals|Edmund P. Evans
Their influence in the land, according to the anti-clericals, had been proved by the Dreyfus affair to be excessive.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7|Various