Klaus Gallo has written a diplomatic history of Argentine-British relations from 1806, when Sir Home Popham landed 1,600 soldiers in Buenos Aires, to 1826, the year after Britain formally recognized the new republic. The monograph, which is a revision of the author’s doctoral dissertation and a Spanish edition published in 1995, is “a study of the evolution of the political and diplomatic relations between the two countries [Argentina and Britain]” (p. 1). It is divided into six chapters: “The River Plate Viceroyalty”; “The British Invasions of the River Plate”; “The Ministry of All the Talents and the River Plate”; “Strangford, Independence and the London Missions”; “Rivadavia and the British Attitude towards Recognition”; and “Great Britain and the Recognition of the River Plate.” An introduction, conclusion, bibliography, and index are included.
There are numerous strengths to this work. First, it is nicely written (several typographical errors aside), with ample documentation for...
