Falkland War: the history of the conflict and its consequences

In this article we will talk about the next conflict of the XX century, namely, the war for the Falkland Islands. This war was fought between Argentina and Great Britain in 1982. It lasted less than three months. Why did this happen and what caused these countries to conduct military operations among themselves? Read more below.

Prehistory

At the end of the 17th century, the Falkland Islands, which are an archipelago, were discovered by European navigators, but because of their proximity to Argentina, this country has always considered them part of its territory. On the archipelago, consisting of two large and more than seven hundred small islands and rocks, there was no indigenous population, and for many years it had passed from hand to hand. In the 18th century an English settlement was founded here, but during the US War of Independence, Britain was forced to leave these lands. In 1820, Argentine settlers arrived on the Falkland Islands. The United Kingdom established control over the islands in 1833, reaffirming its rights to these territories.

In the second half of the 20th century, Argentina took a number of diplomatic steps to eliminate the colonial status of the Falkland Islands. This country had claims to these territories and wished to extend its sovereignty to them. The issue of decolonization was considered at the UN meetings, but it was never solved. The Falklands War of 1982 just happened because of this unresolved dispute.

Who should belong to the island?

The situation was aggravated in early 1982, when the head of the military junta, who in 1979 came to power in Argentina, decided to invade the Falkland Islands. The war began at a time when Argentina was going through far from the best of times. In this regard, the military regime of General Leopoldo Galtieri attempted to seize the islands in order to divert the attention of the population from the internal problems of the country, as well as to strengthen national pride and rally the people against the common enemy, in this case the UK.

The capture of the islands by Argentina

So, on April 2, Argentine military units landed on the Falkland Islands, thereby unleashing the ensuing conflict. The capture of the islands, which defended about eighty British marines stationed in Port Stanley, occurred without bloodshed. The British surrendered, and the Falklands established a new government headed by Argentine General Menendos. In this regard, and there was a Falklands war, the reasons for which are that both conflicting parties claimed this territory.

The day after the landing of the Argentine units in the Falkland Islands, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling on the parties to a conflict to a peaceful settlement. Britain severed all diplomatic relations with Argentina and sent a military contingent to the region, whose task was to restore control over the Falkland Islands. Argentina, in turn, transferred additional troops there and announced the beginning of the call for reservists. Countries imposed sanctions on each other. The Falklands war was imminent.

Escalation of the conflict

Great Britain was immediately organized by a special purpose group, which was given the task of returning the islands. On April 25, the British troops that landed from the warships that arrived were occupied by the South Georgia Island, located less than 1,300 km east of the Falklands. The next day, the UN Secretary General called on Britain to stop fighting, but the country rejected this recommendation. The Falklands war continued to flare up, the parties to the conflict pulled additional forces into the region.

On April 30, the United Kingdom launched a complete blockade of the islands by means of submarines and aircraft. England defined a 200-mile battle zone, which was not recommended even for civilian vessels and aircraft. Argentine positions were struck, resulting in significant damage to aviation, airfields and other infrastructure.

The further course of the war. The defeat of Argentina

On May 2, Great Britain was sunk by the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, which caused the death of 323 crew members. The international community was extremely outraged by this act, especially as at the time when the British submarine torpedoed the cruiser, it was outside the 200-mile zone established by Britain itself. The Argentine navy was withdrawn to its bases and was no longer involved in the conflict.

In the future, the main course of the Falklands war moved into airspace. On June 12, Great Britain launched a massive offensive on Port Stanley, in which Argentina concentrated its main forces. The Falklands war was at the stage of completion. In this operation, British marines and paratroopers participated, and a powerful bombing of the city was also carried out, resulting in casualties among civilians.

After Port Stanley was finally surrounded by British troops, a ceasefire agreement was concluded between the parties to the conflict. Thus, on June 14, the Argentine troops capitulated, and the British occupied the city. The conflict was settled, the Falkland Islands returned under British control.

Consequences and results

As a result of the Falkland War, Britain lost 258 people killed, more than 700 were injured. Argentineans killed 649 people, more than 1,000 were injured, and more than 11 thousand were taken prisoner.

The 1982 Falkland Islands War, in which Argentina suffered a humiliating defeat, later became the reason for the overthrow of the Galtieri military junta regime. But Britain, this small victorious war benefited, raising the national trust of citizens to the government and allowing the country to assert its position in the international community.

Current situation

The relationship between Argentina and the UK deteriorated in 2010, after the latter began to extract oil on the shelf of the Falkland Islands. In addition, England has placed on the islands an additional military contingent, which is why Argentina criticized it, accusing it of militarizing the region. The Falkland War and the unresolved dispute are still the cause of tensions between countries.

In 2013, the Falkland Islands held a referendum, which raised a question about their status. It is known that 98% of the respondents voted for the islands to remain British Overseas Territory. However, the islands live about 3 thousand people, most of them are of British origin. Argentina, in turn, said that it does not recognize the results of the referendum, since it was held without the approval of the UN. Therefore, the country continues to claim these territories to this day, considering them its own.

Unfortunately, even in the modern world there are such conflicts as the Falkland War. Just about many of them we know little. By the way, in Argentina, the Falkland Islands are called Malvinas.