Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Falklands War in Argentina

When you attend language school in Buenos Aires, you will also learn about the history and culture of Argentina. While some of this learning will take place during your Spanish classes in Argentina, there are a lot of interesting aspects of Argentine history that will probably not be covered. It's up to you to be proactive and learn on your own about episodes like the Falklands War. As the only external Argentine war to take place since the 1800s, the Falklands War was quite significant. During the war, Argentina fought the UK for control of the Falkland Islands, an island chain located off the southeast coast of Argentina.

In 1982, the Argentine army invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. In response, Britain decided to use an amphibious assault to take the islands. Three months later, the Argentine army surrendered and the British kept the islands. Unfortunately, the war caused a high number of fatalities, including 255 British soldiers and 649 Argentine soldiers. There were also thousands of injured soldiers on both sides. Three civilians living on the Falkland Islands also died during the war.

The end result of the Falkland War was that the British government under Margaret Thatcher was strengthened. Also, Argentineans protested their own government and this led to its eventual downfall. At the time, the government of Argentina was under the control of a military junta that had been in power since the 1970s. The fact that the country had severe economic issues also added to a general feeling of post-war distress in the country and helped inspire the protests.

When the war began, the Argentine government did not think that the UK would respond with military action. However, they did think that by taking the Falklands they would draw attention away from the economic problems and human rights violations that had been taking place under their government. The first "offensive" action in the war was when Argentine merchants raised their flag in South Georgia.

The US tried to intervene. Yet their attempts at mediations to end the war were unsuccessful. The US Secretary of State ended up supporting the side of the British and decided to stop arms sales to Argentina. Various countries including France, New Zealand, Chile, and Turkey also supported the British. On the other hand, Argentina's supporters included Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Israel, Libya and Spain.

It is interesting to note that even today, Argentina still has not relinquished its claim to this territory. It is even part of the country's constitution.

When you attend Spanish classes in Argentina, you will find that this war is still heavily discussed among the country's citizens. Ultimately, there was a positive outcome in the end, as democracy returned to the country. In 1983, Argentina held its first free general elections in 10 years. Your experience at language school in Buenos Aires will undoubtedly be enhanced if you understand the country's history including recent events like the Falklands War.


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ECELA Buenos Aires is a Spanish school in Argentina that provides cultural lessons and activities in addition to the language course. For more information on how to study Spanish in Argentina => http://www.ecela.com/loc_bsas.php

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