Britain has the responsibility towards the islanders to restore their democratic way of life.

She has a duty to the whole world to show that aggression will not succeed and to uphold the cause of freedom.

Everybody welcome down to Snow's history at 40 years ago.

For 10 weeks in the spring of 1982, a sparsely populated string of islands, hundreds of miles east of South America dominated headlines around the world.

In a chapter of global history, that sort of represents really one of the last gas of a shrinking British Empire.

The UK beset at home by high employment, polarization and economic stagnation battled the nation of Argentina for control of these islands.

The Folklands War, as the 74-day conflict came to be known, may seem small and insignificant compared to the Second Mar War career.

But in fact, I think it did have a huge influence on the subsequent trajectory of the UK.

And the UK's success in South America cemented, conserved with party prime minister Margaret.

That just hold on power. She won a huge election victory just after the war.

And it rallied the nation behind a common cause, protecting one of the last vestiges of its once mighty empire.

So this year's the 40th anniversary. And over the next three months, we'll bring you episodes to mark those key moments.

Some explainers from me, interviews with historians, analysis from experts, memories from veterans on both sides, and insight from folkland Islanders themselves.

So if you know absolutely nothing about the Folklands War, or if it's an area of particular interest, I can guarantee this series is for you.

In the meantime folks, let's get stuck in and work out why the Folklands War came to be.

So, let's go all the way back. Why not? The Folkland Islands, the Argentinians call them the Islas Malvenas, are a remote South Atlantic archipelago.

I've been there, they are ruggedly beautiful, they'll win the blows constantly.

I'm actually the Western Arles in Scotland, but then thousands and thousands of miles away. That's a little bit worse like with penguins.

There's rugged terrain, there are cliff-lined coasts. The hundreds of islands are home to sheep farms and locks and locks of bird life.

The capital, Stanley, sits on East Falkland, which is the largest island where the lion share of the fighting took place.

There is debate on who got the Folklands first, and it's perfectly possible that during the Ice Age, the Folklands may have been joined to the mainland of South America.

So, Amerindians from Patigoni could have visited the Folkland Islands. Amazing, recent discoveries of arrowheads and Lafonia on the southern half of East Falkland, as well as remains of a wooden canoe, provide evidence that in fact, the Yehan people of Tierra del Tuego may have made the journey to these islands, fascinating.

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