Describe the Reaction of British People to the Argentinean Invasion of the Falkland Islands

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Joe Ward

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Describe the Reaction of British People to the Argentinean Invasion of the Falkland Islands

     There were huge number of different reactions and emotions shown by the British people following the invasion of the Argentinean junta of the Falklands.  These included outrage, humiliation, anger, resentment, fear, pride and even shame.

     Much of the first response was of shame. The people were embarrassed that a “once-great” country could suffer such a humiliation in losing its territory to the Argentineans. Initially this reaction was vented upon the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and many people including influential politicians called for her resignation in the early stages of the conflict in the South Atlantic. Many were outraged that Argentina had apparently beaten the British, because they thought that the Latin Americans were not a real world power. As one disgruntled Brit said to The Daily Mail, “Mrs Thatcher will not only go down in history as the first woman Prime minister but possibly the first to allow a Spanish speaking nation to defeat us. Sir Francis drake must be turning in his grave.” This chauvinism added to the sense of humiliation and, despite being the words of a solitary person, is an example of the resentment that was being directed towards the Prime Minister.

     Spawned by this feeling of humiliation arose one of anger. Again the anger was often directed at the government and, as I before, specifically at Margaret Thatcher. People looked at her leadership and saw weakness, believing her neither willing nor strong enough to defend her country’s history and heritage. After all the British had been for centuries one of the most successful militaries on the planet. Some even used the Argentinians government’s decision to invade the Falklands, as a way to criticise the way the British government was run. The Times wrote “The Prime Minister should have resigned over the humiliation of the Falkland islands”.  Some said that regaining the Falklands was a secondary objective, after sorting out domestic the political situation, which many disliked and didn’t support.

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      However, Margaret Thatcher was not the only focus for public outrage and anger.

      The British people also commonly resented the Argentinians for their invasion. There was even a show of open aggression towards the Argentinian ambassador in London when an egg was thrown at his residence. Other displays of resentment included one famous, world cup-winning Argentinian footballer, Ossie Ardiles, being forced to give up playing in England due to the hostile treatment he received from some opposing fans.  Tesco banned the sale of Argentinian corned beef and Brooke Bond Oxo, a company selling ...

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