It is curious that between 1889 and 1941 there were no protests by the Argentines to the British about "Las Malvinas" - the Falkland Islands (see note). The lack of protests was a natural result of the 1849/50 "Convention between Great Britain and the Argentine Confederation" where Argentina relinquished all claims to the Falklands.
Why did the claims start again in 1941? In 1941 Juan Peron returned from almost 4 years in Italy and Germany where he learnt Nazism. Peron describes his conversion:
"Italian Fascism led popular organizations to an effective participation in national life, which had always been denied to the people. Before Mussolini's rise to power, the nation was on one hand and the worker on the other, and the latter had no involvement in the former. [...] In Germany happened exactly the same phenomenon, meaning, an organized state for a perfectly ordered community, for a perfectly ordered population as well: a community where the state was the tool of the nation, whose representation was, under my view, effective. I thought that this should be the future political form, meaning, the true people's democracy, the true social democracy" Juan Peron.
The Second World War was raging in 1941 and Argentina maintained a neutral position which often favoured the Germans. The Germans were particularly keen to capture the Falkland Islands because they allowed the allies to control the route from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Simply raising an Argentine claim to the Falklands in 1941 was a pro-German action.
When Peron returned to Argentina he became part of the "United Officers Group" which, in 1943 mounted a coup and seized power in Argentina and formed an extreme right wing government. There can be little doubt from their social policies and actions that the United Officers Group were closely aligned with Nazi aspirations and German war aims.
What Peron learnt from his German inspired activities was that the cry "Las Malvinas son Argentinas!" could be used to rouse Argentine nationalism and racism. The gringos had stolen part of Argentina! It was not only Peron who learnt this lesson. If there were domestic problems every succeeding government would chant "Las Malvinas son Argentinas!".
The bulk of the Argentine population were uneducated and, seeing the Falklands lying off their coast, yet ruled as a British dependency, were incensed that the British had stolen what appeared to be rightly theirs. Of course, being uneducated, they did not understand that the Falklands only became "offshore" after the genocidal invasion of Patagonia in 1880 and that it was an Anglo-Spanish territory that had been occupied by the British, not an Argentine territory at all. No-one told them that the Spanish had recognised the British residence in West Falkland in 1771 and had relinquished their part of the islands to the British in 1860 and all the inhabitants were British. (Yes, the Islands were of such strategic importance that Britain prevented the United Provinces of South America from seizing them from Spain.)
So, thanks to Nazi aspirations in the Second World War the population of the Falkland Islands are under perpetual threat of invasion and being colonised by Argentina. Many South Americans are supporting the Argentines, and the Brazilians, Venezuelans and Uruguayans are particularly keen to see the Islands violently colonised. As colonisers they can see nothing wrong with neo-colonialism. The South American members of the UN Decolonisation Committee largely support Argentine colonisation of the Islands. It is bizarre that in the 21st century a UN committee is being subverted by colonists to further their colonialist dreams. The UN Committee should be replaced by a body composed of indigenous peoples to stop this farce of the oppressors representing the oppressed.
(Incidentally, the fascists managed to get a law passed in the 1930s that makes "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" compulsory education in Argentine schools, a law that continues to this day).
Also see:
The Falklands have always been Argentine - Las Malvinas son Argentinas
Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Las Malvinas for a discussion of the UN Resolutions and history.
Is the UN Decolonization Committee corrupt?
Colonialism? Its the Colonists Stupid!
The Argentine case for Las Malvinas
Pigna, Felipe (2008). Los mitos de la historia argentina 4. Buenos Aires: Editorial Planeta. p. 28. ISBN 978-950-49-1980-3. "El fascismo italiano llevó a las organizaciones populares a una participación efectiva en la vida nacional, de la cual había estado siempre apartado el pueblo. Hasta la ascensión de Mussolini al poder, la nación iba por un lado y el trabajador por otro, y éste último no tenía ninguna participación en aquella. [...] En alemania ocurría exactamente el mismo fenómeno, o sea, un estado organizado para una comunidad perfectamente ordenada, para un pueblo perfectamente ordenado también; una comunidad donde el estado era el instrumento de ese pueblo, cuya representación era, a mi juicio, efectiva. Pensé que tal debería ser la forma política del futuro, es decir, la verdadera democracia popular, la verdadera democracia social."
Note: This embarrassing gap in protests is denied by Argentina which maintains that there were protests during discussions in Buenos Aires on Radio Telegraphy and Venereal Disease in 1925 and 1926 and that these protests constitute sovereignty claims. See Protest lodged by Foreign Minister Angel Gallardo with the British Minister in Buenos Aires, Sir Malcolm Arnold Robertson, Nov. 30, 1925, in MUNOZ AZPIRI, supra note 7, at 365. and correspondence between Gallardo and the Belgian Minister in Buenos Aires Count Robert van der Straten Ponthoz in respect of the extension of the Bruxelles Convention of Dec. I, 1924 to the Islands. In his letter of Dec. 28, 1926 the Belgian diplomat confirms to have communicated Gallardo's protest to his Government.Id. at 368-69.
Why did the claims start again in 1941? In 1941 Juan Peron returned from almost 4 years in Italy and Germany where he learnt Nazism. Peron describes his conversion:
"Italian Fascism led popular organizations to an effective participation in national life, which had always been denied to the people. Before Mussolini's rise to power, the nation was on one hand and the worker on the other, and the latter had no involvement in the former. [...] In Germany happened exactly the same phenomenon, meaning, an organized state for a perfectly ordered community, for a perfectly ordered population as well: a community where the state was the tool of the nation, whose representation was, under my view, effective. I thought that this should be the future political form, meaning, the true people's democracy, the true social democracy" Juan Peron.
The Second World War was raging in 1941 and Argentina maintained a neutral position which often favoured the Germans. The Germans were particularly keen to capture the Falkland Islands because they allowed the allies to control the route from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Simply raising an Argentine claim to the Falklands in 1941 was a pro-German action.
When Peron returned to Argentina he became part of the "United Officers Group" which, in 1943 mounted a coup and seized power in Argentina and formed an extreme right wing government. There can be little doubt from their social policies and actions that the United Officers Group were closely aligned with Nazi aspirations and German war aims.
 |
| President Farrell and Vice President Peron, courtesy Wikipedia |
The bulk of the Argentine population were uneducated and, seeing the Falklands lying off their coast, yet ruled as a British dependency, were incensed that the British had stolen what appeared to be rightly theirs. Of course, being uneducated, they did not understand that the Falklands only became "offshore" after the genocidal invasion of Patagonia in 1880 and that it was an Anglo-Spanish territory that had been occupied by the British, not an Argentine territory at all. No-one told them that the Spanish had recognised the British residence in West Falkland in 1771 and had relinquished their part of the islands to the British in 1860 and all the inhabitants were British. (Yes, the Islands were of such strategic importance that Britain prevented the United Provinces of South America from seizing them from Spain.)
So, thanks to Nazi aspirations in the Second World War the population of the Falkland Islands are under perpetual threat of invasion and being colonised by Argentina. Many South Americans are supporting the Argentines, and the Brazilians, Venezuelans and Uruguayans are particularly keen to see the Islands violently colonised. As colonisers they can see nothing wrong with neo-colonialism. The South American members of the UN Decolonisation Committee largely support Argentine colonisation of the Islands. It is bizarre that in the 21st century a UN committee is being subverted by colonists to further their colonialist dreams. The UN Committee should be replaced by a body composed of indigenous peoples to stop this farce of the oppressors representing the oppressed.
(Incidentally, the fascists managed to get a law passed in the 1930s that makes "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" compulsory education in Argentine schools, a law that continues to this day).
Also see:
The Falklands have always been Argentine - Las Malvinas son Argentinas
Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Las Malvinas for a discussion of the UN Resolutions and history.
Is the UN Decolonization Committee corrupt?
Colonialism? Its the Colonists Stupid!
The Argentine case for Las Malvinas
Pigna, Felipe (2008). Los mitos de la historia argentina 4. Buenos Aires: Editorial Planeta. p. 28. ISBN 978-950-49-1980-3. "El fascismo italiano llevó a las organizaciones populares a una participación efectiva en la vida nacional, de la cual había estado siempre apartado el pueblo. Hasta la ascensión de Mussolini al poder, la nación iba por un lado y el trabajador por otro, y éste último no tenía ninguna participación en aquella. [...] En alemania ocurría exactamente el mismo fenómeno, o sea, un estado organizado para una comunidad perfectamente ordenada, para un pueblo perfectamente ordenado también; una comunidad donde el estado era el instrumento de ese pueblo, cuya representación era, a mi juicio, efectiva. Pensé que tal debería ser la forma política del futuro, es decir, la verdadera democracia popular, la verdadera democracia social."
Note: This embarrassing gap in protests is denied by Argentina which maintains that there were protests during discussions in Buenos Aires on Radio Telegraphy and Venereal Disease in 1925 and 1926 and that these protests constitute sovereignty claims. See Protest lodged by Foreign Minister Angel Gallardo with the British Minister in Buenos Aires, Sir Malcolm Arnold Robertson, Nov. 30, 1925, in MUNOZ AZPIRI, supra note 7, at 365. and correspondence between Gallardo and the Belgian Minister in Buenos Aires Count Robert van der Straten Ponthoz in respect of the extension of the Bruxelles Convention of Dec. I, 1924 to the Islands. In his letter of Dec. 28, 1926 the Belgian diplomat confirms to have communicated Gallardo's protest to his Government.Id. at 368-69.
Comments