Most everyone remembers what happened when Argentina invaded the British Falkland Islands in 1982. Far fewer people remember what preceded—and in many ways provoked—the Argentine invasion.

In November 1981, with the economy in crisis and the national inflation rate topping 100 percent, General Roberto Viola “temporarily” relinquished the Argentine presidency, and a month later he was permanently replaced by General Leopoldo Galtieri. The ruling military junta claimed that Viola was stepping down because of health concerns; in reality, he had been ousted in a coup. (The junta itself had taken power in a coup, back in 1976.)