Galtieri

Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri (15 July 1926 – 12 January 2003) was an Argentine Army general and a member of the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. He served as de facto President of Argentina from 22 December 1981 to 18 June 1982, succeeding Roberto Viola amid internal power struggles within the ruling junta.

As head of state, Galtieri authorized the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) in April 1982, leading to the Falklands War with the United Kingdom. The conflict ended in a British victory in June 1982 and significantly weakened the regime, contributing to the erosion of domestic support for the dictatorship.

Galtieri stepped down from the presidency following the war and was subsequently replaced by Reynaldo Bignone as part of the transition toward civilian rule. His brief tenure is often associated with the decision to pursue a costly foreign confrontation in an attempt to stabilize a fragile political situation at home.

Galtieri died in Buenos Aires in 2003. He remains a controversial figure in Argentina’s 20th-century history, symbolizing the junta era and its attempt to legitimize rule through a national security crisis.