Background
Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri was born in Caseros on 15 July 1926 into a working-class family.
government official military politician president
Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri was born in Caseros on 15 July 1926 into a working-class family.
And entered the military academy in 1943.
He received regular promotions and commands in the army, ultimately being named army commander-in-chief in 1980. He was considered a moderate within the armed forces.
By early 1981 Argentina faced serious economic problems and was having border problems with Chile. Galtieri visited the United States, warmly welcomed by the Reagan administration, which approved of his strong anti-Communist statements. He became an increasingly vocal critic of President Roberto Viola’s ineptitude. Finally, Viola was forced to resign, and Galtieri took over as president.
The Argentine public, so supportive in April, massed angrily in front of the presidential palace when news of Argentina’s surrender came on June 15. Galtieri was removed on June 17, 1982, and by the end of 1983 a civilian government had been elected, ending seven years of military rule.
The Raul Ricardo Alfonsin Foulkes government elected in 1983 initiated trials of Galtieri and the other junta leaders, trying to make them accountable for their actions while in power. Galtieri was sentenced to a long prison term.
During the Galtieri administration the country was in a deep recession, inflation was soaring out of control, and the country's monetary reserves were disappearing. Public opposition, dormant for years, was becoming more visible, and at the end of March there were large antigovemment demonstrations in Buenos Aires and other cities. Two days later, Argentina invaded the Malvinas, bringing a tremendous outpouring of support from Argentines who have always regarded these islands as belonging to them. However, the Argentines were defeated and humiliated by the British forces, with serious losses of life on both sides.
