Antisemitism in France from the Revolution to World War II




« back to classes page
ClassGraphic How does an irrational prejudice evolve into oppressive state policy in the modern world? This study group will first explore the roots of European antisemitism and then look at why it persisted in post-Revolutionary France, culminating in Vichy’s complicity in the Holocaust. We focus on France because it is the birthplace of egalitarian thought in Europe, seemingly an unlikely breeding ground for antisemitism. Using excerpts from books, essays, articles, and film, we will examine the sources of antisemitism, why it persisted in post-Enlightenment Europe, thrived during France’s Third Republic, and became Vichy’s state policy. Specifically, we will review the following events: the emancipation of the Jews in 1791; antisemitic social attitudes in France in the 19th Century; the Dreyfus Affair; the xenophobia of the 1930s; the Vichy regime’s antisemitism and complicity in the Holocaust; and  France’s post-war moral reckoning. In addition to the coordinator-provided materials, the texts are: For the Soul of France, Culture Wars in the Age of Dreyfus, by Frederick Brown (Doubleday Publishing, 2010), and Vichy France and the Jews by Michael Marrus and Robert Paxton (Stanford University Press, 2019). 

Class Details

14 Session(s)
Weekly - Tue

Location
Wieboldt Hall

Instructor
Multiple

Tuition:  $0.00

Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
9/8/2026 - 12/8/2026 Weekly - Tue 09:45 AM - 11:45 AM Chicago, Wieboldt Hall  Map Abe Brustein  ; Maryann Hayes