Falklands War 40th anniversary

April 2, 2022 - In 1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, having long claimed sovereignty over the territory. Britain saw it as an invasion of a British dependency and recaptured the islands within 74 days.

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The conflict was a major episode in the protracted dispute over sovereignty. Argentina asserted (and still maintains) that the islands are Argentine territory. The British government regarded the action as an invasion of a territory that had been a Crown colony since 1841.

Falkland Islanders, who have inhabited the islands since the early 19th century, are predominantly descendants of British settlers, and strongly favour British sovereignty.

The outcome of the war shaped both governments in power at the time. The Argentinian military junta fell, with Gen Leopoldo Galtieri forced to resign the following the year, while Margaret Thatcher won a landslide election victory in 1983 and went on to become one of Britain’s longest-serving prime ministers.

A new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London opens on April 2, the anniversary of the invasion. It aims to bring a new perspective to a war that claimed the lives of 255 British military, 649 Argentinian troops and three Falkland islanders.