The Dreyfus Affair in Spain: Zola and the Rise of the Intellectual in Spain

This thesis briefly examines the influence of the Dreyfus Affair in Spain, specifically examining how Émile Zola and the development of the French intellectual directly influenced the creation of a Spanish intellectual movement at the end of the nineteenth century. By examining primary sources like Spanish newspapers and letters written to and from Zola, it seeks to add to the historiographical discussion of the Dreyfus Affair by tracing the role of Zola in Spanish conversations surrounding the Affair. Emboldened by Zola, Spanish intellectuals then used the Dreyfus Affair as a platform to promote their own ideological visions of Spain. Specifically, Spanish intellectuals sought Spanish social and political reform in a corrupt, established two-party political system, publicly denouncing the failures of the ruling Spanish regime. It also compares both French and Spanish public sentiment surrounding the Affair, primarily examining urban middle class intellectuals residing in Barcelona, Madrid, Cádiz, and Paris.