History
Early Argentina had four major indigenous tribes, three nomadic ones, the Tehuelche in Patagonia, Querandi and Puelche in the Pampas, and a more advanced civilization in the Northwest called the Diaguita. The Diaguita had sedimentary architecture made of stone, and have been described as warlike, and are supposedly responsible for many attacks on European Colonizers, including the group of Juan Diaz de Soliz, one of the first settlers to come upon the Rio de la Plata.
In 1806 - 1807, the independence movement started, and the country fought two battles against British forces, The Reconquista and The Defensa. 1808 started the Spanish civil war, and, as Spanish Law states, the colonies in America would be allowed to be in control of themselves until there was a lawful king. The Argentine “Creoles,” or the Europeans who were born in South America, liked this law, and felt they had the right to take charge. Unfortunately this was an unpopular opinion between the “Peninsular” Spaniards, those born in Spain and who either migrated to a colony or were sent by the Spanish Government.
The Spaniards were originally defeated in northern Argentina, although they still remained a major threat from their military base in Peru until Jose de San Martín liberated it in the early 1820s. Soon after, many other countries in the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, first Paraguay in 1814, Bolivia in 1825, then Uruguay in 1828, although much of the remaining territory was split up until the 1860s. This territory is mostly what we now know as part of the Argentine state.
The unification of Argentina was a very slow process, first led by Justo Jose de Urquiza, who gathered all of the Argentine territory except Buenos Aires, which wanted to be the power center for the country. After many years of fighting, Buenos Aires won control of the country, putting Bartolomé Mitre as its leader. Mitre started as a powerful leader, but was weakened quite drastically by his opposition in Buenos Aires itself. He was forced to intervene in Uruguay’s Politics, and then to fight Paraguay alongside Uruguay and Brazil, forming The War of the Triple Alliance. The three nations suffered many losses in life, but Argentina’s economy thrived, with many introductions of new resources. Argentina’s role in World War II is very complex, originally trying to remain neutral as to remain in trade with both sides, but eventually joined the UN despite the pushback of many military officials.
In 1982 Argentina forced the British into surrendering the Falklands. In April 1982 Argentine forces were sent into both the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, overpowering the Brits and taking the land for their own. Soon after, on April 25, South Georgia was taken back, resulting in the invasion of the Southern Falkland. A few months later, on June 14, Argentina was forced to surrender all of the islands, giving in to British Rule. Just 3 days after this, the Argentine president of the time resigned from office.
