Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Falklands: Argentina ambassador calls for Britain to hand back 'colonial enclave'
Telegraph UK ^

Posted on 05/06/2012 10:31:22 AM PDT by Perdogg

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061 last
To: Oztrich Boy
"Guam and the Northern Marianas: Give them Back!"

I totally agree. If England caves on this one I expect China or some eastern Pacific power to start asking for the independence of Hawaii. There is already a very active independence movement on the island.

People would do well to remember that England has ruled the Falklands since 1833, roughly 180 years. The isles have been conquered, abandoned, reconquered and envied in successive occupations by the French, Spanish, Argentinians and English up to the war of 1982.

A short history lesson.....

They were discovered by the English navigator, John Davis in 1592 but not explored until 1690 by another Englishman, John Strong. The isles were not inhabited until 1764 when some French sailors from St-Malo first colonized them, hence the French name of “Malouines”.

They were thrown out of the islands in 1766 by the Spanish who were already masters of most of South America. In addition to the Spanish implantation, a British colony had already been established on part of the western isle in 1765 without suspecting that the French were living on the eastern isle.

In 1774 the English left the islands, for financial reasons, to the Spanish who were in charge of the archipelago until 1811 which was the beginning of the revolution of South America countries.

At this agitated time Spain left the Isles which became then officially no man's land. In 1820 Argentina, no longer under Spanish domination set up a colony and a governor in the Falklands.

In 1833 the English navy threw out the Argentinians and took sovereignty of the isles. There was then a period of 150 years of peace apart from the two world wars in which the strategic value of the Isles was demonstrated. In December 1914 a squadron of the British navy based in Stanley fought the German navy and retook control of the South Atlantic. In December 1939, the battle of the River Plate was won by a group of Royal Navy cruisers and after the battle one of the ships docked at Stanley for repairs.

61 posted on 06/05/2012 7:59:54 AM PDT by WMarshal (Bitter Clinger)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson