THE FALKLANDS WAR STST1001 Short Essay Maya Wood - U7289782 Word Count: 1052
The Falklands War The Battle for the Falkland Islands in 1982 marked the reversal of Britain's long military decline, the strengthening of Britain's Prime Minister's political standing, the political end of the Argentinian President and more years of despair for the Argentine people. Perhaps no other recent violent conflict between nations produced such a definitive positive outcome for the victors and a crushing defeat for the vanquished. The Falklands War was sparked by the 1982 Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, which at the time, were under British rule, however, the underlying causes of the war involve the islands disputed sovereignty, and the political goals of both Argentina and Britain. The sovereignty of the Falkland Islands follows a convoluted history and has been a disputed issue for centuries. The islands have been claimed by France, Britain, Spain and Argentina at various points throughout history. By 1833, the islands were in the possession of the British who had requested the departure of the Argentine administration which controlled the islands at that time. From then on, until the Argentine invasion, the Falkland Islands were under the rule of the British. It could be argued that Argentina never forgave Britain for this reoccupation and thus in 1945, revived its claim on the islands. After much British disinterest in these claims, the UN urged the two countries to negotiate a solution in regard to the issue of the island's sovereignty. The next 17 years saw convoluted diplomatic negotiations as the British and Argentine governments and negotiators sought to seek a compromise that suited both sides. The problem of sovereignty was never resolved and as a result, on the 2nd of April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. It may be argued that the main cause of the Falklands War ultimately boiled down to Argentinean nationalism. For centuries, Argentina claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which eventually triggered the war when they invaded the islands in April of 1982. However, it must be noted that the political goals of Argentina were the most significant influence on their decision to invade. It has been suggested that President Leopoldo Galtieri used the invasion as a distraction to take his people's minds off of domestic issues. Galtieri rose to presidency in 1981, amongst a period of extreme chaos and instability in Argentina. In 1976, the democratic government was overthrown by a military junta which saw to the beginning of seven years of state terrorism, in which military and security forces hunted
down people believed to be linked with the left-wing or communism.1 At this time, Argentina was also facing economic crisis. The currency was collapsing, with runaway inflation at over 100%, and cuts to services and benefits were also introduced.2 By the time of Galtieri's presidency, the junta was met by rising opposition over its human rights record, allegations of corruption and the state of the economy. Argentina's internal instability was seen as a threat