Video: 'Argentine Surrender Falklands War 1982'
(Monday, June 14, 1982, 9:00 p.m. Falkland Island Time; during the Falklands War) — The Falklands War, a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic — the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands — ended tonight when the commander of the Argentine garrison in Stanley, General Mario Menéndez, surrendered to Major General Jeremy Moore, returning the islands to British control.
In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders died during the hostilities.
The conflict was a major episode in the protracted dispute over the territories’ sovereignty. Argentina asserted (and maintains) that the islands were Argentine territory, and the Argentine government thus characterized its military action as the reclamation of its own territory.
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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 favor British sovereignty.
Patriotic sentiment ran high in Argentina, but the unfavorable outcome prompted large protests against the ruling military government, hastening its downfall, and the democratization of the country. In the United Kingdom, the Conservative government, bolstered by the successful outcome, was re-elected with an increased majority the following year.
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Diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina were restored in 1989 following a meeting in Madrid, at which the two governments issued a joint statement. No change in either country’s position regarding the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands was made explicit.
In 1994, Argentina adopted a new constitution, which declared the Falkland Islands as part of one of its provinces by law. However, the islands continue to operate as a self-governing British Overseas Territory.
