Some extra thoughts on the question: I just read An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris (which claims to be as historically accurate as possible) and what stands out is the virulent antisemitism of the general population and the various comments that this was a relatively recent phenomenon. I suspect it may have something to do with the recent devastating defeat by Prussia, the fear of another war, and the need for a scapegoat. In that sense France of the time would be very similar to Germany after WW1.