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Dreyfus: A Family Affair, 1789-1945
1894. France. Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer, is convicted of a treasonous act of espionage he did not commit.
The next twelve years fiercely divided French public opinion.
Anti-Semitism was thrown into the foreground. Famous French figures both condemned and defended Dreyfus, whilst anti-Semitic riots erupted in cities across the country.
The Dreyfus Affair signalled an assault on the civil state, on the ideals of justice and community for which the Revolution stood one hundred years earlier.
Through all its trials, the family never wavered in its allegiance to a nation that often wavered in the fulfilment of its promises.
Through the experiences of six generations of the family Burns shows how the Dreyfus Affair went beyond the events that shook turn-of-the-century society, recounting a larger socio-political saga as gripping as it is disconcerting.
It is a story that culminates in the darkest moment of European anti-semitism.
The Holocaust.
Praise for ‘Dreyfus: A Family Affair 1789-1945’
“A remarkable piece of work, both for its detailed scholarship and for its particular overview of French society: a monumental achievement” Claire Tomalin, Independent on Sunday
“Mr Burns does not have a thesis to advance, and does not try to draw our conclusions for us. He is content simply to tell a story (and what a story!), which he does with skill, humanity and warmth” John Gross, Sunday Telegraph
“A harrowing saga of unrequited patriotism” Observer
“Burns handles the central drama with the artistry of a novelist” European
Michael Burns is an American professor emeritus of history of Mount Holyoke College, Ma. and former actor of television and film. During his twenty years teaching European history he authored a number of books focusing on France and the Dreyfus affair.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
The next twelve years fiercely divided French public opinion.
Anti-Semitism was thrown into the foreground. Famous French figures both condemned and defended Dreyfus, whilst anti-Semitic riots erupted in cities across the country.
The Dreyfus Affair signalled an assault on the civil state, on the ideals of justice and community for which the Revolution stood one hundred years earlier.
Through all its trials, the family never wavered in its allegiance to a nation that often wavered in the fulfilment of its promises.
Through the experiences of six generations of the family Burns shows how the Dreyfus Affair went beyond the events that shook turn-of-the-century society, recounting a larger socio-political saga as gripping as it is disconcerting.
It is a story that culminates in the darkest moment of European anti-semitism.
The Holocaust.
Praise for ‘Dreyfus: A Family Affair 1789-1945’
“A remarkable piece of work, both for its detailed scholarship and for its particular overview of French society: a monumental achievement” Claire Tomalin, Independent on Sunday
“Mr Burns does not have a thesis to advance, and does not try to draw our conclusions for us. He is content simply to tell a story (and what a story!), which he does with skill, humanity and warmth” John Gross, Sunday Telegraph
“A harrowing saga of unrequited patriotism” Observer
“Burns handles the central drama with the artistry of a novelist” European
Michael Burns is an American professor emeritus of history of Mount Holyoke College, Ma. and former actor of television and film. During his twenty years teaching European history he authored a number of books focusing on France and the Dreyfus affair.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
786 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1991
131 people are currently reading
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About the author
Michael Burns
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 23, 2019
More than two thousand books and articles have been written about the infamous court martial of French Jew Captain Alfred Dreyfus in 1894. While most histories focus on the case itself, Michael Burns provides a broader view, chronicling the emergence of the Dreyfus family as wealthy cotton manufacturers in Alsace, examining the case in great detail, and then following up on the roles the Dreyfus family and his supporters played in both world wars.
The Dreyfus family story has as much relevance today as it did at the turn of the century––not just in France where anti-Semitism has never gone away and has resurfaced recently in deadly fashion, not just in Europe––ditto its presence, but in the United States as well.
For those who forgot the short mention of the Dreyfus affair in their European History class, it is important to recall that at a young age Alfred Dreyfus became dedicated to France and to the French military, and he never waivered in that dedication. Despite his loyalty, Dreyfus was convicted of spying for France’s bitter enemy Germany, which had humiliated France in 1870 and taken part of Alsace as its reward.
The Dreyfus case coincided with the growing antagonism to Jews in France, as a result of their increasing integration into mainstream French society in general and in the ranks of the French military in particular. The plot, hatched by clerical and nationalist elements in the military and supported by vocal anti-Semites, led to Dreyfus spending five years on Devil’s Island off the coast of French Guiana. Dreyfus endured incredible deprivation, which Burns details, and barely survived. Yet, as a result of a campaign led by his brother Mathieu and the strength he gained from the support of his wife Lucie, Dreyfus survived to face a second court martial. Although he was convicted a second time, as the facts of his innocence had begun to emerge, he was eventually pardoned and his military rank was restored.
Jews world-wide know of the Dreyfus case because a Hungarian journalist who covered the initial trail cited it as an influence in his decision to join the nascent Zionist movement. Theodore Herzl (1860-1904) was apparently influenced not just by the case itself but also by the massive public outcry he witnessed against Dreyfus and against French Jews. Chants of “Death to Jews,” he wrote, were heard throughout the country.
The irony of the Dreyfus case was that the Dreyfusards––those who believed in Dreyfus innocence, downplayed the anti-Semitic motivation of his framers. The Dreyfus family had taken advantage of France’s emancipation of the Jews to become wealthy and to take advantage of the open doors to French society. Along the way, their Judaism was reduced to the equivalent of a regional family affiliation. At family funerals even Kaddish, the prayer cited for the dead, had to be recited in French.
The consequences of the Dreyfus’ family’s unwavering devotion to France was that several young men of the next generation including Mathieu’s son Emile, went to their deaths fighting for France in the first world war, and Alfred, who never fully recovered his health, insisted in returning to his post and put his life in danger defending Paris.
Despite the contributions of the Dreyfus family to that war, they were again victimized by French anti-Semite allies of the Nazis who helped send tens of thousands of French Jews, including those with medals for valor in the First World War, to Auschwitz.
Burns does not offer conclusions based on his thorough research, nor should he. That’s not the historian’s job. Conclusions based on the Dreyfus case are nevertheless the domain of reviewers.
In this reviewer’s humble opinion, the lesson of the Dreyfus case is that the promise of the French Revolution for Jews––emancipation and unrestricted opportunity––was never fulfilled. Yes, there were periods where Jews prospered and made inroads, but always at the expense of their commitment to Judaism, and always in the face of an undercurrent of resentment and hostility from those who needed a scapegoat for failures personal and national. Again and again, the undercurrent of resentment came to the surface whenever conditions justified the need for someone to blame.
Earlier I suggested the Dreyfus case offers lessons for Jews in the United States as well as in Europe. Recent history backs me up. When college students are bombarded by professors with accusations against Israel, when they are afraid to wear a Jewish star or kippah, and when members of Congress blame the Jewish Lobby (with a capital L) for buying their colleagues’ votes, events like the murders in Pittsburgh become all too likely.
Herzl’s vision came none too soon. Unfortunately, however, millions of Jews who might have benefitted were brutally murdered in the Holocaust or died as soldiers fighting the Nazi menace. What’s different today is that the state of Israel exists and at the moment one can be a practicing Jew and an American. Who knows whether both will last.
The Dreyfus family story has as much relevance today as it did at the turn of the century––not just in France where anti-Semitism has never gone away and has resurfaced recently in deadly fashion, not just in Europe––ditto its presence, but in the United States as well.
For those who forgot the short mention of the Dreyfus affair in their European History class, it is important to recall that at a young age Alfred Dreyfus became dedicated to France and to the French military, and he never waivered in that dedication. Despite his loyalty, Dreyfus was convicted of spying for France’s bitter enemy Germany, which had humiliated France in 1870 and taken part of Alsace as its reward.
The Dreyfus case coincided with the growing antagonism to Jews in France, as a result of their increasing integration into mainstream French society in general and in the ranks of the French military in particular. The plot, hatched by clerical and nationalist elements in the military and supported by vocal anti-Semites, led to Dreyfus spending five years on Devil’s Island off the coast of French Guiana. Dreyfus endured incredible deprivation, which Burns details, and barely survived. Yet, as a result of a campaign led by his brother Mathieu and the strength he gained from the support of his wife Lucie, Dreyfus survived to face a second court martial. Although he was convicted a second time, as the facts of his innocence had begun to emerge, he was eventually pardoned and his military rank was restored.
Jews world-wide know of the Dreyfus case because a Hungarian journalist who covered the initial trail cited it as an influence in his decision to join the nascent Zionist movement. Theodore Herzl (1860-1904) was apparently influenced not just by the case itself but also by the massive public outcry he witnessed against Dreyfus and against French Jews. Chants of “Death to Jews,” he wrote, were heard throughout the country.
The irony of the Dreyfus case was that the Dreyfusards––those who believed in Dreyfus innocence, downplayed the anti-Semitic motivation of his framers. The Dreyfus family had taken advantage of France’s emancipation of the Jews to become wealthy and to take advantage of the open doors to French society. Along the way, their Judaism was reduced to the equivalent of a regional family affiliation. At family funerals even Kaddish, the prayer cited for the dead, had to be recited in French.
The consequences of the Dreyfus’ family’s unwavering devotion to France was that several young men of the next generation including Mathieu’s son Emile, went to their deaths fighting for France in the first world war, and Alfred, who never fully recovered his health, insisted in returning to his post and put his life in danger defending Paris.
Despite the contributions of the Dreyfus family to that war, they were again victimized by French anti-Semite allies of the Nazis who helped send tens of thousands of French Jews, including those with medals for valor in the First World War, to Auschwitz.
Burns does not offer conclusions based on his thorough research, nor should he. That’s not the historian’s job. Conclusions based on the Dreyfus case are nevertheless the domain of reviewers.
In this reviewer’s humble opinion, the lesson of the Dreyfus case is that the promise of the French Revolution for Jews––emancipation and unrestricted opportunity––was never fulfilled. Yes, there were periods where Jews prospered and made inroads, but always at the expense of their commitment to Judaism, and always in the face of an undercurrent of resentment and hostility from those who needed a scapegoat for failures personal and national. Again and again, the undercurrent of resentment came to the surface whenever conditions justified the need for someone to blame.
Earlier I suggested the Dreyfus case offers lessons for Jews in the United States as well as in Europe. Recent history backs me up. When college students are bombarded by professors with accusations against Israel, when they are afraid to wear a Jewish star or kippah, and when members of Congress blame the Jewish Lobby (with a capital L) for buying their colleagues’ votes, events like the murders in Pittsburgh become all too likely.
Herzl’s vision came none too soon. Unfortunately, however, millions of Jews who might have benefitted were brutally murdered in the Holocaust or died as soldiers fighting the Nazi menace. What’s different today is that the state of Israel exists and at the moment one can be a practicing Jew and an American. Who knows whether both will last.
November 30, 2021
In many ways this book tells history as history should be told. As a good story, mixing personal drama with the greater picture of historical devlopments.
In Dreyfus Michael Burns has found his ideal hero to tell an important part of French history. And if there is a small critique to this book, then it is this relentless adoration for Dreyfus and his family that at some points makes the story a bit lobsided.
Burns is clearly out to set record straight about the contribution of Jewish families to the building of France as a Nation. And although based on the the facts presented in this book, but also other histories, he's probably right to do that, it's a pity that the idolizing tone, at some moments, takes away from the story itself. Which it's strong enough in itself as it is.
In Dreyfus Michael Burns has found his ideal hero to tell an important part of French history. And if there is a small critique to this book, then it is this relentless adoration for Dreyfus and his family that at some points makes the story a bit lobsided.
Burns is clearly out to set record straight about the contribution of Jewish families to the building of France as a Nation. And although based on the the facts presented in this book, but also other histories, he's probably right to do that, it's a pity that the idolizing tone, at some moments, takes away from the story itself. Which it's strong enough in itself as it is.
July 6, 2020
I got this book because I wanted to read more about the "Dreyfuss affair" that has drawn so much attention on both sides of the question. While the book deals with that, the focus seems to be more on the politics of France as they affected the Dreyfuss family through five (six?) generations and several wars, including two world wars. So I didn't get out of it all that I had hoped - but I did get a lot out of it that I did not expect. The anti-semitism that we so often attribute to just Nazi Germany during WW II is well documented as having been present in France in the late 1700s and forward. Another area that is documented has to do with the Utopian society envisioned by the French Revolution which was never realized. Combining that with what I learned from "The Spanish Civil War" (Hugh Thomas) make it clear that, while most of the people share the dream of a Utopia, it's not attainable. In fact, the same divisive behaviors that threatened Spain threatened France and, today, threaten the United States (somehow it's easier to see that when reading the history of other countries).
A very good read - thoroughly researched and would appeal to those curious about the Dreyfuss affair or how France ended up in the position it did at the beginning, middle, and end of WW II.
A very good read - thoroughly researched and would appeal to those curious about the Dreyfuss affair or how France ended up in the position it did at the beginning, middle, and end of WW II.
May 7, 2020
A remarkable French family
For four generations, despite their victimization by anti-semites, members of the Dreyfus family devoted themselves to the glory and well-being of France. This book tells their story beginning in 1749 with the birth of Alfred's grandfather in Alsace and ends nearly 200 years later with the death of several of the younger members of the family fighting for the Free French and the Resistance during World War II. In between it tells the story of the Dreyfus Affair and the role of Mathieu in organizing the movement that secured justice for his brother.
For four generations, despite their victimization by anti-semites, members of the Dreyfus family devoted themselves to the glory and well-being of France. This book tells their story beginning in 1749 with the birth of Alfred's grandfather in Alsace and ends nearly 200 years later with the death of several of the younger members of the family fighting for the Free French and the Resistance during World War II. In between it tells the story of the Dreyfus Affair and the role of Mathieu in organizing the movement that secured justice for his brother.
November 8, 2020
Having read A Gentleman and a Spy I wanted to know more about the times and the people involved in the Dreyfus Affair. Michael Burns not only opens the doors to the politics of the times and the effects of the Affair on all who got involved from all sides but he opens the doors into the families who lived it over 3 generations. It is a great historical and human book.
August 16, 2020
Fascinating portrait of the Dreyfus affair
The book depicts the affair , family involvement throughout the years. It follows many family members and how their lives were affected. It also reveals how french people positioned themselves in regards to the affair.
The book depicts the affair , family involvement throughout the years. It follows many family members and how their lives were affected. It also reveals how french people positioned themselves in regards to the affair.
Read
September 10, 2023A very readable account of Alfred Dreyfus and his family set against the background of French history at the time. The Dreyfus family gave more to France than it gave to him. Dreyfus' belief in France and its destiny was firm. But France could not protect his favorite granddaughter from the Nazis who killed her.
January 6, 2014
One of the best, absolutely best, non-fiction books I have ever read. (And, I am not usually given to hyberbole).
The actual facts of the story are literally incredible and the writing made it seem like a novel. Read this book.
The actual facts of the story are literally incredible and the writing made it seem like a novel. Read this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews