In 1894, Dreyfus was arrested and accused of spying.

He was convicted (condemnado) by a mi itary court for supposed y se ing !renc" mi itary secrets to t"e #ermans. $"e p"ysica evidence consisted of a s ip of paper (bordereau si% pieces) discovered in #ermany on w"ic" was written a promise, in !renc", to de iver a va uab e !renc" arti ery manua to t"e #ermans. Handwriting e%perts cou d not definitive y in& t"e note to Dreyfus, but t"e captain was vu nerab e on ot"er accounts.

Dreyfus was ric" and 'ewis". He was a so from ( sace, t"e border area of !rance t"at was ceded to #ermany as a resu t of t"e !ranco)*russian war in 18+,)+1. (fter t"e area was returned to #ermany, t"e Dreyfus fami y moved to *aris. $"e press ran stories -uestioning "is oya ty. /as "e, above a , !renc"0 #erman0 1r part of an 2internationa 'ewis" conspiracy20 /"i e "is bac&ground made "im 2suspicious,2 t"e mi itary court "esitated to convict Dreyfus wit"out more substantive proof. 3o one Henry, a !renc" mi itary inte igence agent, testified t"at "e "ad additiona information definitive y imp icating Dreyfus, but t"at t"is information invo ved c assified mi itary secrets and t"us cou d not be revea ed. 4ased on 3o one Henry5s testimony, Dreyfus was convicted and sentenced to ife imprisonment in e%i e on Devi 5s Is and.

The Cover-up
In 6arc" of 1897, !renc" inte igence discovered anot"er piece of paper))in t"e same #erman office)) w"ic" promised new de iveries of !renc" mi itary secrets. $"e "andwriting was identica to t"at found on t"e piece of paper used in t"e Dreyfus case. 8ince Dreyfus was imprisoned on Devi 9s Is and at t"e time t"e second paper was discovered, "e cou d not "ave aut"ored t"is or t"e origina treasonous note. $"is time, "andwriting e%perts traced t"e writing to anot"er officer, /a sin :ster"a;y, a notorious gamb er. <pon earning of t"ese new deve opments 3o one Henry, arguing t"at t"e army5s credibi ity was at sta&e, initiated a cover)up. $"e new information was ea&ed, "owever, to t"e government. ( group of ibera senators c"arged t"e army wit" undermining one of t"e very foundations of repub ican government, e-ua ity before t"e aw, and demanded a retria . /"en t"e information was re eased to t"e press, t"e army "ad no c"oice but to bring :ster"a;y before a court martia = despite t"e serious evidence against "im, t"e army voted to protect "im as one of t"eir own, and :ster"a;y was ac-uitted.

utcry
$"e Dreyfus affair became a nationa pub ic scanda . $"e press was fi ed wit" editoria s on bot" sides of t"e issue. :mi e >o a, t"e famous !renc" nove ist, pub is"ed an open etter to t"e president of !rance entit ed Jaccuse, w"ic" ran on t"e front page of a eading *arisian newspaper. >o a argued t"at t"e government and t"e army "ad conspired to convict Dreyfus on fa se grounds. He accused t"e government and army of committing 2treason against "umanity2 by p aying to t"e pub ic5s anti)8emitism in an attempt to divert popu ar attention from t"eir own pub ic fai ures. >o a9s artic e made a powerfu impression))?,,,,,, copies of t"e paper were so d in *aris a one. >o a was p aced on tria and convicted for ibe . 6eanw"i e, t"e mi itary court reca ed Henry and demanded "is secret Dreyfus evidence. Henry9s evidence was e%posed as a c umsy forgery. Henry "imse f was t"rown in @ai , w"ere "e &i ed "imse f.

The Retrial
Dreyfus was broug"t bac& from Devi s Is and for a retria . (s "is tria proceeded, army officia s and t"e roya ist 3at"o ic press re eased start ing y anti)8emitic statements, inc uding a warning t"at t"e 'ews cou d face mass e%termination. Despite t"ese scare tactics, Dreyfus "ad t"e evidence))inc uding t"e papers, t"e "andwriting, and Henry5s forgeries))wor&ing for "im during t"e retria . Despite t"e weig"t of t"ese facts, t"e mi itary court pronounced Dreyfus gui ty after ess t"an an "our of

de iberations. $"e court was wi ing to reduce "is sentence, "owever, from ife to 1, years due to 2e%tenuating circumstances.2 $"e ibera reaction to t"is verdict bot" in !rance and t"e rest of /estern :urope was one of s"oc& and some vio ence. $"e ibera president of !rance, :mi e Aoubet, "astened to si ence t"e uproar by prompt y pardoning Dreyfus. 3omp ete @udicia e%oneration of Dreyfus9 record came seven years ater.

MAS CONCLUSION