The Dreyfus Affair was one of the most important criminal cases of turn-of-the-century France. Indeed, for many years you could just refer to "The Affair" and have it understood which case you were talking about, on the Continent, in England, or even in America. Yet I suspect the majority of modern Americans have never even heard of Alfred Dreyfus. For those who haven't, a brief chronology:
So go the bald facts. But behind those bald facts there was a titanic struggle going on within the French Army, and ultimately the French government and society as a whole. In _Prisoners of Honor_, David Levering Lewis digs into that struggle, using original sources including Dreyfus's letters from Devil's Island to his wife and the Army investigative file which proved to be full of doctored and even forged evidence.
It is beyond doubt that Dreyfus was innocent. Esterhazy went so far as to confess to passing the incriminating documents to the German embassy, after he himself was relocated in England. But Dreyfus was a rarity in 1890's France: a Jew high up in the Army hierarchy. This was intolerable to many in the Army, and it's clear that there was a predisposition to believe him a traitor when evidence arose that someone was passing documents to the Germans. It is not completely clear who originally leapt to the conclusion that Dreyfus was the traitor, but once in motion it led to an endless series of coverups and violations of the law, from forged evidence being presented to the original court martial without the defense being aware of its existence, to the attempted destruction of Picquart when he discovered the truth. The coverup extended into the highest echelons of the French military and government.
You see, anti-semitism was a fact of life in France at that time. Even when it became clear that Dreyfus was innocent, many in France did not think it worth speaking out to protest the treatment of a Jew. But gradually a movement formed on the left for the release of Dreyfus, and after his second conviction these "Dreyfusards" found their voice in the words of novelist Emile Zola. Zola wrote an open letter in defense of Dreyfus that included the memorable turn of phrase "la verite est en marche et rien ne l'arretera" (truth is on the march and nothing can stop it).
The Dreyfus Affair brought the divisions in French society starkly into the open. The paternalism of the Army, claiming that it knew best how to protect the country and should be exempt from civilian control, battled the French leftist tradition of revolution at the drop of a hat. Modern liberalism and tolerance tried to defend its birthplace from anti-semitism. Ultimately,Dreyfus because (as he himself recognized) a symbol of forces far beyond his own life. Although his 12-year ordeal ended with his reinstatement to the Army, the splits remained in French society. Even Picquart, who tried to do his duty by seeing an innocent man set free, refused to shake hands with Dreyfus, apparently feeling that the latter should have stopped pursuing vindication after his pardon rather than continue to threaten the institutions of society.
Those brought up on the post-WWII mythology of France as the defender of human freedoms against the brutal antisemitic Nazis may find much to ponder in this book. Those who think men are never driven by "honor" in real life, only in the movies, will likely be taken aback too. And anyone who thinks conspiracies and coverups were invented by Dick Nixon will find out that Haldeman and Ehrlichman were pikers next the the French Army. Levering does a great job of telling the micro-story while tracing the macro effects it had on French history.