La Débâcle is a novel by Émile Zola published in 1892, the penultimate in les Rougon-Macquart series. The novel is by far the longest of the Rougon-Macquart series and it starts in the summer of 1870, when after serious diplomatic tensions, France has declared war on Prussia. Its main character is Jean Macquart, a farmer who after having lost his wife and land, has joined the army for the campaign of 1870. The main theme is the brutality of war for the common soldier and for the civilian population as it is hit by losses of family and friends and by economic hardship.