The Dreyfus Affair was a political scandal in France that began in 1894 when Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French Army, was wrongfully convicted of treason. He was accused of passing military secrets to Germany, leading to a controversial trial that revealed deep-seated anti-Semitism within French society and the military. Despite evidence of his innocence, Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
The case sparked widespread public debate and division in France, with prominent figures like writer Émile Zola speaking out against the injustice. The affair highlighted issues of nationalism, anti-Semitism, and the struggle for civil rights, ultimately leading to Dreyfus's exoneration in 1906 and significant changes
