Product Description

Covering the origins of the 1982 war, this book describes the long history of the dispute between Argentina and Britain over the sovereignty of the islands, and the difficulties faced by governments in finding a way to reconcile the dispute.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #405912 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From the Publisher
Published by Routledge, 28 June 2005

From the Back Cover

The first volume of the official history of the Falklands Campaign covers the origins of the 1982 war. It describes the long history of the dispute between Argentina and Britain over the sovereignty of the Islands, and the difficulties faced by successive governments in finding a way to reconcile the opposed interests of the Argentines and the islanders, and the constant struggle to keep the Islands viable. In March 1982 what started as an apparently trivial incident over an illegal landing by scrap-metal merchants on the island of South Georgia turned into a major crisis. Drawing on official papers Freedman is able to chart the growing realisation within the British government of the seriousness of the situation, culminating in the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands at the start of April.

About the Author

Sir Lawrence Freedman is Professor of War Studies at King’s College where he is currently Vice Principal. He has written extensively on military strategy, cold war history and contemporary conflict and is a regular newspaper columnist.

Customer Reviews

Essential Reading - Little Brick
The first volume of The Official History of the Falklands War makes fascinating reading. The author's privileged access to government records allows an in-depth analysis of the events leading up to the Argentine invasion in 1982. Whilst there is very little to surprise readers familiar with the conflict, this book remains surprisingly readable. Most valuable is the insight into the workings of government, notes, papers and committees. Freedman does not seek to apportion blame for any failure of diplomacy, indeed he shows that governments of all colours had a remarkably consistant and realistic approach to the rights and privileges of a couple of thousand people living 8,000 miles from the mother country.

You would expect such a tome to be very dry and tough to digest, but in fact it is extremely well written and draws you into a complex narrative.

Many people may be tempted to skip Volume I in favour of the meat of Volume II. This smaller book does form an integral part of the overall history and should not be missed.