"L'affaire Dreyfus" is a historical event that took place in France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It involved the wrongful conviction of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish French army officer, for treason.
The case began in 1894 when Dreyfus was accused of passing military secrets to the German embassy. Despite a lack of concrete evidence, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on Devil's Island.
However, as more information came to light, it became clear that Dreyfus was innocent and had been framed by anti-Semitic elements within the French military. The case sparked a national scandal and divided French society.
Emile Zola, a prominent writer, famously published an open letter titled "J'accuse" in defense of Dreyfus, accusing the government of a cover-up and demanding justice.
After years of public outcry and legal battles, Dreyfus was eventually exonerated in 1906 and reinstated in the army. The L'affaire Dreyfus remains a symbol of injustice and anti-Semitism in French history.