This Day in History: 14 June 2020
14 June 1982
38 years ago, today, the Falklands War ended, after Argentina surrendered to Great Britain after suffering through six weeks of military defeats. In 1816, Argentina had proclaimed its sovereignty over the Falklands, but this was met with British retaliation, where they militarily occupied the land. A British lieutenant governor was appointed in 1841, and by the 1880s, the British community of around 1,800 was self-supporting. In 1892, the Falkland Islands were granted colonial status. This remained unchanged for the next 90 years, despite constant diplomatic efforts by Argentina to regain control. Despite the islanders' desire to remain British, the military junta led by Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri began to plan the Falklands invasion as a means of promoting patriotic feelings.
A full-scale invasion of the Falklands began in April 1982, where amphibious forces rapidly overcame the small garrison of British marines and soon seized the dependent territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich group. The Argentinian troops had been ordered to inflict no British casualties, despite suffering losses to their own units. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was still outraged and assembled a naval fleet of 30 warships to retake the islands. After several weeks of fighting, the large Argentine garrison surrendered, ending the conflict. Britain and Argentina together lost just under 1,000 lives, but the Argentine military was swept from power in 1983 after being humiliated in the war, restoring civilian rule. Thatcher's popularity, however, soared after the conflict, and her Conservative Party won a landslide victory in the 1983 parliamentary elections.
Want to find out more about the Falklands War? Click here for more information, or click here for a documentary about the war.
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