15. The Dreyfus Affair: Treason and Anti-Semitism
In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French Army, was wrongfully convicted of treason for allegedly passing military secrets to Germany. The trial, marked by anti-Semitic sentiment, led to his life imprisonment on Devil’s Island. Subsequent investigations revealed his innocence, but the case exposed deep-seated prejudices and divided France’s Third Republic. Dreyfus was exonerated in 1906, highlighting the dangers of injustice and discrimination. More at History.com.
