A hundred years ago, the Dreyfus Affair took place, an event the French still hesitate to discuss today. In 1894, France's greatest adversary was Germany, and the First World War was on the horizon. These two rival countries had already experienced a battle in 1868, which France had lost. In 1894, it was revealed that someone from the French War Ministry was selling military secrets to the Germans. This revelation led to the scapegoating of young and innocent Captain Alfred Dreyfus, simply because he was Jewish.
The proof of this betrayal was a torn piece of paper found in the trash can of the German military attaché at the German Consulate in Paris, discovered by a French cleaner. What made this torn paper so crucial was that it contained written military information. The handwriting was examined, and because it somewhat resembled Dreyfus's handwriting, the young officer was arrested.
Dreyfus was immediately sent to Devil's Island in French Guiana and declared a traitor.
However, some believed in his innocence. The Ministry thought everything was settled, but those who wanted to reexamine the case emerged. The biggest advocate for this case was Colonel Georges Picquart. After observing Dreyfus's trial, Picquart was appointed as the head of Army Intelligence in 1896. It didn't take him long to discover who the real traitor was. A Major named Ferdinand had been warned in 1892 for his close relations with the German attaché, and more importantly, his handwriting resembled the writing on that torn piece of paper even more than Dreyfus's.
Despite this, the French were unwilling to admit their mistake. Ferdinand was acquitted through a secret trial. Later, Colonel Picquart, who investigated the case and uncovered the traitor, was accused of personally writing the note and was put on hold, awaiting arrest.
Now, you might wonder what Zionism has to do with this. The connection lies in the Dreyfus Affair, which laid the groundwork for Zionism. On January 5, 1895, in front of a large crowd, Dreyfus was degraded with the label of a Jewish traitor, his epaulets removed, and his sword broken. Among the crowd was an important figure, Theodore Herzl, the founder of Zionism, which played a crucial role in the establishment of Israel.
At that time, Theodore Herzl was assigned in France. Like most Jews, Herzl, a modern Jew, believed that the most effective way to combat anti-Semitism was through assimilation. In other words, a person should first be German or French, and then Jewish. However, when Herzl followed the Dreyfus Affair and witnessed Dreyfus's humiliation in public, his views changed completely. He formed the idea of Zionism, advocating for Jews to have their own homeland. Unfortunately, these plans were realized with the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Theodore Herzl at the time had contacted the Ottoman Empire to negotiate for the purchase of Palestinian lands, offering a substantial bribe to Sultan Abdulhamid II. However, he received a refusal, stating that the lands acquired with the blood of martyrs would not be sold.
Theodore Herzl was among those who followed the Dreyfus Affair.
Now, what happened to Dreyfus? Renowned writer Emile Zola was also in the crowd during Dreyfus's humiliation. He believed in Dreyfus's innocence. After Colonel Picquart's arrest, in 1898, he wrote the most influential newspaper article of the time, accusing the French government one after another. Later, Zola was brought to trial for publishing accusations. He was found guilty a month later and fled to England. However, Emile Zola created a storm. Everyone now believed in Dreyfus's innocence and the government's oppression.
Finally, the new War Minister, Godfrey Cavaignac, wanted to know the whole truth from start to finish. Zola, who had claimed that the documents leading to Dreyfus and Picquart's arrests were fake, was assigned to review the documents. The officials appointed to examine the documents made a surprising discovery in the very first one. Upon further examination of other documents, it was revealed that many of the documents, telegrams, radio messages, and records used against Dreyfus were fake. Most of these documents belonged to Major Joseph Henry, who testified against Dreyfus. The truth unraveled, and Major Henry was arrested. While in custody, he committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. The actual spy, Major Ferdinand, fled the country.
Zola returned to France a year later and witnessed the downfall of the government he had accused. His own charges were pardoned. In 1899, Dreyfus was brought back from Devil's Island and retried, but the government only offered him a pardon.
Finally, in 1906, the French Supreme Court declared Dreyfus's innocence. Within a few weeks, he returned to the army as a Major and received the Legion of Honor, France's highest medal. Colonel Picquart's name was also cleared. He first became a Brigadier General and then the Minister of War.
In the end, the matter was clarified, but the French still prefer not to discuss such an event. Additionally, the Dreyfus Affair, which changed Theodore Herzl's thoughts and led to the emergence of Zionism, is still an event the French want to keep hidden and are ashamed of to this day.
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