The Dreyfus Affair and how it affects Israel

Alfred Dreyfus was born on October 9, 1859 and died on July 12,1935. Dreyfus was the son of a wealthy Jewish textile manufacturer. In 1882 he decided to have a military career. By 1889 he had risen to the rank of captain.

Then during the year 1894, the French Army's counter intelligence section, became aware about information that was about new artillery parts was being given to the Germans by a highly placed spy. The spy was most likely on the general. In 1895 Dreyfus was convicted in a secret court martial and publicly striped of his army rank. Later  day he was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.

Later on during the August of 1896 Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart found evidence to support that Alfred Dreyfus was innocent. The evidence showed that Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy was that the one who engaged in espionage. This is proved because his handwriting was found on the letter that incriminated Dreyfus. To bring Dreyfus back from Devil's Island was a problem because Esterhazy kept creating new evidence. Then during 1904 a re-trial was granted and in 1906 a civilian court reversed all previous convictions.

This is connected to Israel and how it was given to the Jews. This is because reporter Theodor Herzl was at the Dreyfus affair. When he saw the French insulting the Jews he began thinking that Israel needed its own country/state because there was nowhere for the Jews to go to and no matter where we are we are untrusted. This is how the Dreyfus affair affects the birth of Israel.