Causes, Practices, and Effects of War: The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands

Transcription

1 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 1 Emet Anceaume Paula Calvo Alexa Delgado Anna Koehnk Marlon Morraz Mr. Daniel W. Blackmon IB Contemporary History, period January 2010 Causes, Practices, and Effects of War: The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands I. Origins of the Falklands War (E. Anceaume) A. Underlying Causes 1. Political Causes a. The governing power of Argentina, the junta, decided to resolve their extreme social pressure and severe economic crisis by initiating a quick patriotic war that would help galvanize public opinion behind the government (Cannon et al 248). b. The Falklands became an important location for Argentina after the Antarctic Treaty, especially since Chile asserted more authority over Tierra del Fuego (Cannon et al 249). c. Argentina s Improving relations with its northern neighbors and the USA marked the perfect time for settling accounts with the UK over the Falklands (Cannon et al 249). 2. Economic Causes

2 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 2 a. Argentina was struggling through a major economic crisis due to a crippling foreign debt. Such debt was causing strong internal instability in which consequently threaten the sovereignty of General Leopoldo Galtieri, a member of the junta. Therefore order to distract from its internal instability economic problems Galtieri executed an attack in b. Economic instability did not only inspire Argentina to go to war. England was also facing economic difficulties. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher s policies were causing deep separations in the country mainly because of: (Cannon et al 250). i. wide spread privatization ii. anti-union legislation iii. higher taxation B. Proximate causes 1. Failure of Diplomacy a. Some British officials proposed a workable diplomatic solution, leasing back the Falklands, but was rejected by some hardliners British government and became untenable once representatives of the island s of British citizens were included in the Argentine government (Cannon et al 249). b. Although negotiations on the islands had been attempted they broke down in early With a deteriorating domestic situation and pressure from hardline members of the junta, General Galtieri,

3 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 3 decided to force a the situation by executing a military invasion (Cannon et al 249). c. In 1982 the Argentineans sent merchants to the island without notifying the British government. As a response the British sent their vessels in order to evict them from South Georgia. However they were greeted by a full Argentine occupation force. The British made little genuine effort to defuse the South Georgia incident. Therefore, the junta concluded that the British were preparing for an aggressive attack and a full invasion had to be completed on April 2 (Cannon et al 250). d. Argentina begins the attack which took the British by surprise. e. The UK asks the USA to mediate with Argentina. The USA gives practical support to the UK which angers the Argentines. f. The British win the first diplomatic round after the UN Council passes Resolution 502 which demanded the Argentine to withdrawal. g. Alexander Haig s diplomatic plan was rejected by the OAS because the position of the USA was more closely related to the British than the Argentines. As a result the OAS supported the Argentine s dispute. h. The British then proposed the TEZ in which any vessel found in 200 mile zone without British permission was a legitimate target (Cannon et al 251).

4 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 4 i. Peru and the UN failed to mediate the conflict since Argentina rejected Peru s peace plan. j. OAS condemns British actions. Three battles emerge Battle of Goose Green, Battle of Fitzroy, Battle of Stanley. k. Argentina surrendered on June 14. Britain is able to recapture the islands. II. The Course of the War (A. Delgado) A. Type of war 1. Limited war a. goals of the Argentine junta were to control the South Atlantic i. Malvinas became vital to Argentina s position in the South Atlantic b. goals of the British government were to exercise its sovereignty in the Falklands i. Margret Thatcher (1925- ), who was the British prime minister from , would not back down from a challenge to British sovereignty c. Argentina s strategy was to a military solution to the conflict i. General Leopoldo Galtieri ( ), who lead the junta during the Malvinas War, wanted to use military to force a diplomatic solution

5 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 5 ii. (Argentina) statistics: 746 dead (almost half were lost at sea after the sinking of the Belgrano), 1200 wounded (Cannon et al 255). d. British strategy was diplomatic, but they were less interested than Argentina about negotiations (Cannon et al 250) i. once problem seemed it could become a shooting war, negotiation efforts were soon highly focused on ii. (Britain) statistics: 250 dead, 770 casualties (Cannon et al 255) B. Foreign intervention 1. United States a. was both a member of NATO with the UK and the OAS with Argentina b. under the Rio Pact of 1947, an attack on one is an attack on all i. because of the Rio Pact, by April 1983, Argentina won a resolution (denouncing UK and calling for a cessation of hostilities) i. abstained from voting and ignored resolution c. Alexander Haig (1924- ), Secretary of State during first Regan term, attempted to mediate a settlement of the Falklands in 1982 (unsuccessful)

6 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 6 i. after he failed, USA lined up more closely with UK, giving material, logistical, and intelligence support ($1.9 billion) (Cannon et al 255) 2. United Nations (UN) a. UK s resolution called for a solution that respected the principles of the charter of the UN i. emphasizes the principles of self-determination 3. Organization of American States (OAS) a. supported the Argentine cause b. also under Rio Pact i. voted for Argentina s resolution C. Military campaigns/ Most Important Battles (Cannon et al 253) 1. March 1982: Argentine navy landed on South Georgia a. (Mar. 24) HMS Endurance arrives at South Georgia with 24 Marines b. (Mar. 28) Argentinean military cancels all leave for personnel and begins flying military aircrafts over the islands c. (Mar. 29) UK sends three nuclear submarines to South Atlantic 2. April 1982: Argentina invades the Falklands a. (Apr. 5-9) British task forces set sail for South Atlantic b. (Apr. 12) Britain proclaims Maritime Exclusion Zone (MEZ) c. (Apr. 22) UK task force arrives in South Atlantic

7 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 7 d. (Apr. 25) UK recaptures S. Georgia; Argentine submarine Santa Fe attacked by Royal Navy e. (Apr. 30) UK proclaims Total Exclusionary Zone (TEZ) 3. May 1982: Air war begins over Malvinas a. (May 2) Royal Navy sinks Belgrano b. (May 4) Argentinean air force sinks HMS Sheffield c. (May 21) UK lands on San Carlos; Argentinean air force sinks the HMS Ardent d. (May 21-29) Battle of Goose Green 4. June 1982 a. (Jun. 8) Battle of Fitzroy b. (Jun ) Battle of Stanley c. (Jun 14) Argentina surrenders D. (M. Morraz) III. Political, social, and economic effects of the war (P. Calvo) A. a war without a peace treaty 1. There were several attempts to stop the war; all plans proposed were rejected by both governments a. (Apr ) Haig proposes a plan to which the UK and Argentina respond negatively b. (Apr. 27) Haig presents last peace plan, also rejected c. (May 2) Peru s peace plan is rejected by Argentina 2. in the end, Argentina surrenders; no peace plan

8 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 8 B. Territorial Changes 1. Falklands were initially British; Argentina claimed them 2. after the war, no agreement or treaty between the nations a. the islands remain under British rule b. Argentina considers the islands to be Argentinean and includes them in every map of the country C. Political repercussions 1. Argentina a. Galtieri is forced to resign b. General Reynaldo Bignone also lost his power after the war (end of the war brought about the end of the junta regime) c. after the war, the country held democratic elections i. Raul Alfonsin won the elections, becoming the first Argentinean president elected by the people 2. UK a. Thatcher wins support of the British people and is re-elected the year after the war D. Social effect 1. Argentina a. war represented the end of a hard time for Argentineans b. broken families because of all the soldiers lost in the war and during the junta regime i. women need to find job(s)

9 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 9 c. Argentineans are morally destroyed after losing the war 2. UK a. increased nationalism and patriotism b. Thatcher was considered a war hero E. Post-war economic effects 1. Argentina a. external debt could not be paid and the financial conflict would last until the 21 st century b. had to pay off its war debt and recover all the national market that was devastated during the war and the military regime, as it could not compete with other international markets 2. UK a. Thatcher capitalized on the wave of patriotic sentiment (Cannon et al 255) b. the economy recovered IV. Conclusion (A. Koehnk) A. Were the issues that cause the war resolved by the war? 1. While the Argentineans did not get the land they were after, which meant that they remain in heavy foreign debt, they experienced and were defeated by the supremacy of the British Royal Navy. On the other hand, Britain was able to successfully exercise its sovereignty. They regained control off the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands with a few months, while suffering less than half of the casualties of the Argentineans. So, in that

10 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 10 aspect, the issue of challenging British sovereignty was resolved in that Argentina eventually surrendered. The issues that the Argentina s faced, gaining a control of the South Atlantic, was not resolved. B. Did the war result in a just lasting peace? 1. Yes, because no other outbreak of war has broken out between they two countries since. It also gave Margret Thatcher a political advantage in the UK. 2. No, because the junta suffered a political defeat, and also the country remained in debt into the 21 st century/ C. Did the war create new problems that might in the future lead to another war? 1. After the war, Britain had no choice but to reassert her presence in the South Atlantic. Now, with growing prospect of offshore oil deposits in the South Atlantic, the British stance seems prescient. (Cannon et al 255) Because of Argentina s financial situation, it could have an incentive for going back to war with the UK over the islands.

11 Anceaume, Calvo, Delgado, Koehnk, Morraz 11 Emet Anceaume Paula Calvo Alexa Delgado Anna Koehnk Marlon Morraz Mr. Daniel W. Blackmon IB Contemporary History, period January 2010 Works Cited Cannon, Martin, Richard Jones-Nerzic, David Keys, Alexis Mamaux, and Michael Miller. 20th Century World History Course Companion: International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. New York : Oxford University Press, Print.