Antisemitism in France - The Development of The Modern and The Racial Antisemitism

The Development of The Modern and The Racial Antisemitism

In the end of the 19th century a new type of antisemitism had begun to develop in Europe- the racial antisemitism which developed as part of the development of the nationalism and the effects of the industrial revolution. The main idea of the racial antisemitism, as presented by theorists such as racial theorists such as Joseph Arthur de Gobineau, is that the Jews are a distinct and inferior race compared to the European nations. The emphasis was on the Jewish Non-European origin and culture which were beyond redemption even if Jews converted to Christianity. Therefore, the modern antisemitism emphasized the hatred of the Jews as a race and not only the Jewish religion.

Another part of the modern antisemitism in Europe was the conspiracy theory of Jewish world economic domination as presented in the antisemitic hoax "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" which was first published in Russia in 1903. This theory was strengthened by the leading part Jews, like the Rothschild family had played in the European banking system.

The rise of modern antisemitism together with the rise of nationalism and the nation state had brought a wave of antisemitism as Jews struggled to gain their rights as equal citizens. It Germany this brought up the Hep-Hep riots in 1819 when the Jews of Bavaria were attacked for claiming their civilian rights.

One of the most famous incidents of the 19th century was the Dreyfus affair, when a French officer of Jewish origin, Alfred Dreyfus, was accused in high treason. The trial had sparked a wave of antisemitism in France, and eventually Dreyfus was found innocent of the charges in 1906. The affair greatly inspired Theodor Herzl.

Nevertheless, in eastern Europe religious antisemitism remained at large due to the fact that the industrial revolution less affected those areas. During the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century a number of pogrom had occurred in Russia, sparked by various variables such as antisemitic political movements, the murder of the Tsar Alexander ii in 1882 and blood labels about Jews killing Christian children. The most famous blood label was the Beilis Trial that took place in Kiev in 1903 when a local Jew was found innocent from the accusations of killing a Christian boy. The pogroms in 1881 and after the first Russian revolution of 1905 caused thousands of Jewish lives and more than 1 million immigrated to America. The Russian revolution of 1917 and the civil war that came afterwards sparked a new wave of pogroms against the Jews as nationalist militias and regular armies fought over the control of the country. The casualties from the pogroms were estimated in tens of thousands dead.