Women, Press, and Patriotism

The reverberations of the Affair were not felt only by a group of men in Paris, but by people—men and women—around the world. In addition to Dreyfus’s wife Lucie, women such as the actress Sarah Bernhardt and the journalist Séverine campaigned for Dreyfus’s release. Both international and domestic press coverage had an enormous impact on the Affair, with different newspapers taking pro- or anti-Dreyfus positions. In addition, French patriotism took on complicated forms during this era. The Affair sparked questions about which side stood for “France” and who were the “true defenders” of the country.