France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History

by Michael Burns

The Dreyfus affair � the infamous account of Jewish army officer and French citizen, Alfred Dreyfus, unjustly convicted of treason in 1894 � was the most significant political and social crisis of fin-de-siècle Europe. In the first book designed to introduce students to the broad outlines and significant legacies of the affair, the author deftly interweaves text with documents, tracing the course of events. He highlights the many issues connected with the case, including anti-Semitism, militant nationalism, socialism, the birth of modern Zionism, and the separation of church and state. Sixty-six documents are embedded in the narrative, offering students a broad range of sources to examine, including newspaper editorials, letters, trial testimony, and diary entries. A list of the principal characters is included in the appendices.

Genres: History, School, Nonfiction, European History, France

210 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 1998

About the author

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Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a class on the long nineteenth century, and found it completely enjoyable. I'd known the major points about the Dreyfus Affair (and read J'Accuse), but this short book taught me a lot about the atmosphere surrounding this issue.

The documents help present the Dreyfus Affair in an easily understandable way, while bringing insight into the overarching themes of anti-Semitism and nationalism that were so prevalent during the turn of the nineteenth century and of course, into the twentieth.

I'd definitely recommend this book to people who might find more standard history texts dry.

[Ninja Notion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is critical for an understanding of Anti-Semitism and the concept of otherness. The Dreyfus affair was a political issue that divided the French at the turn of the 20th century and its lessons or justifications for prejudice still reverberate across the subsequent decades. The unapologetic hatred reflected in the archival documents that Burns provides, can still be found in various neo-facist, white nationalist and racist websites and literature available today. After a century, nay centuries, we as a species, still have not been able to find a way to weave the lofty goals of liberty, equality, and fraternity into the fabric of human culture in any meaningful way.

[Louise Leetch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference book, especially if you're working on a review of another book on the era. Michael Burns' quick and easy chronicle of the epoch will give you a firm basis for seeking what it is that really made the French the people they are today. He embeds the documents throughout his narrative, a welcome freedom from checking appendices or searching the internet for reprints.

[hoffnarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combines relevant documents and a narrative description of the origins, events and impact of the Dreyfus Affair. The documents are usually kept short and the explanatory sections between are informative.

[Wes Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very academic and intellectual. Interesting from a Historical point of view. It amazes me how men could so strongly support the side against Dreyfus even after it became evident that there had been a cover up and falsification of documents to support the wrong doing. Some even praised the perpetrators of the false documents as "patriotic". The used of documents and written accounts made it an interesting read.

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

given the fact that i went into this knowing absolutely nothing about the Dreyfus affair, I found this book to be informative while still being entertaining! It covers a lot of history, and the case itself is a wild (yet unsurprising) representation of state sanctioned corruption and anti-Semitism.

[✨ Helena ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely fascinating...especially with all of the included primary sources.

[Shervin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Full of primary documents. Very informative. Sadly still relatable.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for 20th century europe class and wrote an essay on it - pretty interesting

[Polina Dushenkovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely entertaining history read, laden with primary sources. Will make you cry and seethe with anger and smile.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for class and I found it a comprehensive description of the events. It was definitely biased towards the Dreyfusards (which I would find hard not to do). The only complaint I have is that, from the description, I didn't realize until I was told in class that some people still claim Dreyfus was guilty. However, I liked the many primary sources referenced.

[Isaac Timm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mix of primary and secondary sources, short but informative. Very concise.

[Zach Opsitnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written. A perfect mix of historical documents and a modern interpretation of one of the most scandalous moments in French military history.

[AskHistorians]

A slim little volume with documents relating to the Dreyfus affair (of course), but Burns places them in context.