The Falklands War is a conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982 for the possession of the Malvinas Islands (in English, Falkland Islands). This is a strange conflict, totally out of step with the issue of the Cold War. This war is the result of the will of the Argentine government, namely a military dictatorship led by General Galtieri, to find in a national adventure an escape from the challenges facing Argentina. It was without counting on the determination of the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who found in this showdown the opportunity to restore her popularity.
At the origin of the Falklands War
The origins of the conflict date back to an 18th century Anglo-Spanish dispute, at the end of which the United Kingdom established its rights to possession of these territories. Argentina tried for the first time, in 1829, to colonize the Falklands. In 1832-1833, the United Kingdom reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Falklands archipelago, as well as over South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands which depend on it, and expelled the Argentine settlers.
In 1978, Argentina broke diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom to express its territorial claims on the Falklands . In 1981, on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the expulsion of the Argentines, the new military junta in power in Buenos Aires made the return of the islands a priority. Indeed the country is then plunged into a serious economic crisis (a three-digit inflation) and the junta is isolated on the diplomatic level. The United States has distanced itself from Buenos Aires and Moscow's support is at best hypothetical.
The Argentine military undertook from 1980-1981 to make claims on the Falklands archipelago, located 500 km from the coast, which the British had seized from the Argentines in 1833. The he archipelago, whose main resources were then agriculture and fishing, was inhabited by less than 2,000 British subjects and was of little strategic interest. However, it constitutes an old national claim, which has the advantage of uniting behind it a large part of the Argentine population (even the left) often won over to anti-British theses.
While negotiating diplomatically with London, the Argentine government designs a combined operation to seize the archipelago quickly. In all likelihood the garrison of 67 Royal Marines could not put up much resistance. Galtieri then expected to present the United Kingdom with a fait accompli and negotiate a favorable agreement with the United Nations. There is no reason to think that the British government wants to keep control of the colony, populated by less than 2,000 people, and whose local economy, mainly based on the export of wool, is declining.
Thatcher against the Argentinian junta
It was without counting on the personality of Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This chemist by training, leader of the Conservative Party was in power in 1979. A champion of economic liberalism, she vowed to reform her country in depth, which had been confronted for several years with the bankruptcy of the Keynesian system of previous Labor governments. Her inflexibility and determination earned her the nickname "Iron Lady". Fiercely anti-communist, she is a close ally of US President Ronald Reagan.
When Argentine troops land in the Falklands (and South Georgia), Thatcher, whose drastic reforms have made him extremely unpopular, decides to retaliate militarily. She will therefore take the United Kingdom on a military adventure, which she hopes will save the face of her country but also her government. The United Kingdom obtains from the Security Council of the United Nations the vote of a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the Argentine troops and the opening of negotiations.
Before the House of Commons on April 3, 1982, Tchatcher clearly expressed his determination:“I must affirm before the House that the Falkland Islands and their dependencies will remain British territory. No aggression or invasion can change this simple fact. It is a government objective to ensure that these islands are freed from occupation and returned to British sovereignty as soon as possible . »
The British army then mobilized an expeditionary force made up of 28,000 soldiers. While the latter made his way to the South Atlantic, the Argentine government organized the defense of the islands by gathering a force of 10,000 men.
The Falklands War
On April 5, 1982, the British intervention force left Portsmouth for the Falklands. Despite the mediation efforts of the UN and the United States (which, it must be remembered, are allies of both the United Kingdom and Argentina), confrontation seems inevitable. Faced with Thatcher's resolution, Washington ended up declaring itself in favor of sanctions against Argentina.
After a reconquest of South Georgia on April 25 by the SAS, British troops launched operations against the Falklands on May 1. It was the start of a high-intensity naval and air-land battle which in 72 days would cost the lives of nearly 1,000 British and Argentine soldiers. Despite some successes (such as the destruction of the destroyer HMS Sheffield), the Argentine armed forces could not prevent London from recovering the archipelago by force on June 20.
This conflict resulted in the fall of the Argentine military dictatorship (October 1983), while ensuring the continuity of the Thatcher government in London. Although this war will have cost nearly 3 billion pounds (and 34 planes) to the British, it will also have allowed them to test various weapon systems and to learn a number of lessons for the subsequent evolution of their armed forces. /P>
To go further
- The Falklands War, by Charles Maisonneuve and Pierre Razoux. Lariviere, 2002.
- War at the End of the World, by Roger Planchar. Denoel, 1988.