On the 5th of January, 1895, Captain Alfred Dreyfus would be stripped of his rank and freedom in front of a crowd of Parisians before being deported. His crime - treason. However, his supporters believed him to be innocent, and the discovery of the real traitor resulted in what would become known as The Dreyfus Affair - one of the world's most infamous miscarriages of justice.
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The real traitor was Charles Marie Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy (16 December 1847 – 21 May 1923) was an officer in the French Army from 1870 to 1898. He gained notoriety as a spy for the German Empire and the actual perpetrator of the act of treason of which Captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused and convicted in 1894. Ezterhazy was never punished.
@JohnDove-d8d Says:
Essentially he was accused of anything that one could possibly be accused of and almost no one took his side bc he was a Jew. Showcasing an anti Semitism problem with the French in general.
@Grim_Sister Says:
The man that reminded us that no matter how hard we try, we must never forget who we are.
Because you will remind us. And you will not be kind about it
@Hillbilly973 Says:
Say what you like, French history is very grubby.
@MarkBridger-u9b Says:
Well narrated...excellent.!
@wolcottwu756 Says:
Parallels with the Russia Hoax.
@Dracopol Says:
3:21 You mispronounced the name "Panizzardi" (paa-ni-TZAR-dee) as "pansy-ar-dee". Freudian slip?
@lib556 Says:
I am just finishing Robert Harris' book: An Officer and a Spy. I highly recommend it.
@mzple Says:
Any anti Zionist must push against this with the greatest intensity. I am Jewish and American, but I realize my loyalty will always be in suspicion due to my Jewish heritage. Theodore Hertzel himself became a Zionist because of the Dreyfus affair. If the most assimilated patriotic French Jew could be persecuted, than no Jew could feel safe anywhere expect in their own country. EU nations Must Address this.
@YanestraAgain Says:
You're no historian, you are a YouTuber who wants to gain views by peppering up a story to what you think gives the most clicks. You disgust me.
@習維尼宜家食緊普丁小 Says:
That's what happens when a country is filled with useless male cowards. That's why there was Vichy. That's why their only courage was to bully women who had relationship with Germans after WW2 not fight the germans and bravely be suicidal during the war. That‘s why these hommes français can only rely on women, short people and cooks in all wars to save their asses, which are something they like to lick.
@gideonhorwitz9434 Says:
What makes this story so disheartening other than the blatant anti semitism was the pride and stupidity of the French military elite.
They eventually knew Druyphus wasn’t the spy and discovered the true identity of the mole but rather than admit wrong doing they doubled down outing national security at risk out of literal pride and prejudice.
It would be this same French military culture that would send millions of soldiers to death in ww1
@ItsLunaRegina Says:
Being anti-semitic is a good thing, people will realize that once again one day.
@briandoss9232 Says:
Interested to see that Judiciary Jackassery isn't just an American custom.
@anotherjewishsharpnicholas9425 Says:
The recent film on it was banned in the Americas because it's about antisemitism.
@ehrldawg Says:
I wonder if Julie - louise is related?
@ehrldawg Says:
Up next;John J Pershing
@chucku00 Says:
Some French YT history channels should take notes on how to gather accurate informations and show them in a nonsensical way...
@valmid5069 Says:
*Military injustice such as this case sound remarkably similar to Korean Admiral Yi and American once-been segregated military. It is also unfortunate that one of Dreyfus family members perished in the Holocaust as well*
@christbanner3219 Says:
Seeing the state of the French High Command at this point, there's no wonder why they had such a poor military performance from 1870 to 1940.
@leetimberman8860 Says:
Nazis are left wing. Nationalist Socialist Workers Party. Hence most anti-semites are majority left-wing. There was no Party switch.
@Vikotnick Says:
How is this not a movie? Or maybe it is. If anyone knows, please let me know. Thanks!
@svenkleinplarre9461 Says:
Kinda reminds me of the story of Mata Hari.
@joehoe222 Says:
So the French army was busy saving it's own reputation by destroying it. That's why they sucked so much at the start of 1914.
@markusklein1029 Says:
What's disconcerting about this story is how even the French minister of defence was prepared to sacrifice more than one innocent man's life, just to cover up that he had pushed for the prosecution of the wrong man.
@MacabreQt888 Says:
I remember watching a movie about this as a little girl. It was starring Richard Dreyfuss, and it was the first I'd ever heard of this.
@jerrydixon Says:
How can you have such a thick beard but not a single hair on the top of your head?🤔
@discoveralia Says:
Really well explained. I enquired about this many times while living in Francd and never got such a clear explanation. Thanks.
@612ent7 Says:
Instead of finding the person who is hurting their nation n spying on them they decide to pick a guy they hate tf
@DJJinxC2006 Says:
Great vlog, as always, oh I don't know if I already told you, but you look like a younger version (from what I remember of him) of my headmaster, same accent as well lol
@lucacosta6266 Says:
Great and most interesting.
Could I propose as a potential biographic subject, andre MALRAUX (surely a most interesting figure, from archaeologist/tomb robber, to writer, to fighter in spain in the civil war, to soldier, to politician. . .
@jakesymes7427 Says:
What a man honestly. To be wrongfully accused by his country and vilified he still had the love and conviction to serve the country that wronged him with honour. Absolute legend
@tapaarn5863 Says:
Why is this bloke on so many YouTube channels?
@evanulven8249 Says:
I find it darkly amusing that, even today, people think laws are there to protect them or that they exist to uphold justice or protect society. Laws only exist to protect the powerful and enact their will with a thin veneer of right. They will be twisted, discarded, rendered impotent by a judge and politician, or just flat out ignored should anyone of power fall under them, or any entrenched institution violate them.
Only public shame and threats of force acted upon can bring actual justice. Which is, of course, why laws exist declaring those tools are barred from the people as a whole, and only allowed for those that write the laws, or have the means to buy "legal" protection.
@elizabethwhite1014 Says:
Excellent episode!
+ 1 vote to the commenter below requesting an episode on Michael Collins
@Chiller01 Says:
Von Schwartzkoppen went to the Donald Trump School of State Security.
@anneceferron4595 Says:
I grew up in Rennes, Brittany, France , where his second trial was held. He is part of the history of our town
@Nobody-Nowhere-USA Says:
The hate for the Jewish people was and still is common in European countries today, not just pre WW2 Germany! The “enlightened” peoples are not so enlightened and never have been.
@benwherlock9869 Says:
Shot by all sides.
@Tremont24 Says:
Please do Booker T. Washington next
@yaqbulyakkerbat4190 Says:
So after france unapologetically tortured, framed, abused, attempted assassination, slandered, and permanently crippled him. He still fought for them in ww1?
That's not honorable or valorous. That's just stupid.
@dimitrissigalos1950 Says:
It was a battle for France’s soul. The Dreyfus affair was a total embarrassment for the country and exposed structural deficiencies of the country. But despite all of that there were those who fought back and brought these issues to light. This was not the case in many countries in Europe. For all its flaws the French political and social system of the time was able to face these elements and put them aside and for that it deserves credit.
@welwynmanager323 Says:
I am from Nigeria and even I read about this issue and how it inspired Zionism...
Another great video from Bio.
Welldone
@benbugi Says:
Interasting fact: this video was uploaded on the day of the first Zionist Congress, held by Herzl, 125 years ago.
The Dreyfus affair influenced not only France but also, even more, the state of Israel.
It is part of our nation story, that the trial - wich Herzl covered as a journalist - led him to the conclusion that there will be no happy end for the jews in Europe and only a sovereign state is the answer.
@lesliegordon2313 Says:
As usual, Simon, an excellent presentation. You could talk about house bricks and I'd be riveted. Thank you.
@cybersean3000 Says:
The Dreyfus Affair sparked a crisis in French manhood. This hyper-masculinity led to milutarism in French culture. This contributed to the build up to WW1. What was the compromised military information? Artillery firining tables
@pistongreg Says:
Can you do a biography on Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratton?
@BigKeith510 Says:
It's amazing how others put their well being at risk to do what's right.
@dsnodgrass4843 Says:
The essay Emile Zola wrote about this, "J' accuse!", was his finest hour as a writer. Too bad it did him no good, at least in his lifetime.
@robertalpy9422 Says:
The Actor Richard Dreyfus is descended from Alfred. They look alot alike.
It must still be a bitter pill in the family because I only recall him talking about it once and he seemed unhappy to be asked about it. Understandable.
If a movie were ever made on The Affair, he ××w be perfect for the role. It probably brings up too much pain for him to ever accept the role.
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