Underneath the heroism of Zola lies a shaken confidence in the very foundation of the French Republic and the desirability of the rule of the people. The mob frequently resorted to “vigilante” tactics such as street fighting, and seemed to be guided by a few strong antisemitic voices in the press and amongst the anti-Dreyfusards. Their faith in the ability of the people to rule themselves was shaken by this unprecedented action of the mob against an individual and against the law of the state and of the body politic. However, the quote also reveals a crisis that both Zola and Clemenceau faced when confronted with the mob: the mob seemed to be the people. This quote of Clemenceau characterizes the fight the Dreyfusards had to wage as seemingly the only liberals standing alone before the mob. Such a man was Zola!” (114) Clemenceau, in a speech before the Senate several years after the Dreyfus Affair. “Men have been found to resist the most powerful monarchs and to refuse to bow down before them, but few indeed have been found to resist the crowd, to stand up alone before misguided masses, to face their implacable frenzy without weapons and with folded arms to dare a no when a yes is demanded.
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