Argentina (ARG)South America, AmericasJune 17, 1982
Event Summary
On June 17, 1982 President Leopoldo Galtieri of Argentina was forced from power by his fellow military commanders in the wake of the country's humiliating defeat in the Falklands War, accelerating the collapse of the military dictatorship that had ruled since 1976. Galtieri, who had taken the presidency in December 1981, ordered the April 1982 invasion of the British-held Falkland Islands, gambling that a patriotic victory would shore up the faltering junta. Instead, Britain retook the islands, and Argentine forces surrendered on June 14, 1982.
The defeat discredited Galtieri and the armed forces. Within days the junta forced him out; sources place his resignation on June 17 or 18, 1982. He was replaced after an interval by General Reynaldo Bignone, who would oversee the transition to democracy.
Galtieri was not physically harmed at the removal; he was later tried.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: President Leopoldo Galtieri, forced from power on June 17, 1982 after the Falklands defeat; the dataset codes his fate as placed under house arrest, and he was not physically harmed, later facing trial.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Leopoldo Galtieri (president forced out)
Reynaldo Bignone (general who eventually succeeded him)
Sources
On June 18, Argentine military dictator Leopoldo Galtieri resigned in the wake of his country's defeat in the Falklands War, four days after Argentine forces in the island capital Stanley surrendered to British forces on June 14.
Army General Leopoldo Galtieri had taken the oath of office as President of Argentina in December 1981, replacing Roberto Viola, before being removed after the Falklands defeat the following June.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, December 1981open source ↗
Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri was a Major General and Commander in Chief of the Argentine Army after 1980, the position from which he had moved to the presidency before the Falklands War brought his downfall.
Argentina seized the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982, and after Argentine forces surrendered on June 14, the defeat led to Galtieri's fall, with the war having been launched after junta leader Galtieri asked for plans to recapture the islands.
Fate coding: the dataset codes Galtieri's fate as placed under house arrest; he was removed from the presidency after the Falklands defeat and was not physically harmed, later facing courts-martial and trial for the conduct of the war and for Dirty War crimes, so the house-arrest coding fits his subsequent detention. Date nuance flagged: the dataset dates the removal June 17, 1982, while sources give his resignation as June 17 or 18, 1982 (days after the June 14 surrender); both are recorded. Coding note: the dataset labels this a military coup; it was an internal removal by the junta of the president it had installed, triggered by the military catastrophe of the Falklands. Arc link: this connects directly to the December 11, 1981 reshuffle (enriched in batch 34) that brought Galtieri to power; his fall came just over six months later. Historical weight recorded: the Falklands defeat fatally discredited the dictatorship; after an interval, General Reynaldo Bignone took over and oversaw the transition to democracy, with Raul Alfonsin elected in 1983, later context. Neutrality maintained on a contested subject.
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Leopoldo Galtieri, forced from power on June 17, 1982 after the Falklands defeat; the dataset codes his fate as placed under house arrest, and he was not physically harmed, later facing trial..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; placed under house arrest. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
“Galtieri resigns in Argentina; New Leaders Say They’d Bring...” June 18, 1982
“Hard-Liner Named,” by Richard J. Meislin, June 18, 1982
“For Britain and the Falklands, The Postwar World Is Shaky,” by R. W. Apple Jr., June 20, 1982
“Argentine Leader Names Team of 10,” by Edward Schumacher, July 1, 1982
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →