Between 1976 and 1982, more than 15,000 people were “disappeared,” while 5,000 more have been identified as murdered by the state. Human rights groups have estimated more than 30,000 disappeared. Kidnapping, torture, and murder became a constant fear for communists, students, intellectuals, reporters, Jews, and eventually, unarmed citizens. This was a change in Argentines’ attitudes toward the military, which were traditionally quite favorable.
1n 1977, the mothers and grandmothers of the disappeared began gathering in the Plaza de Mayo, demanding the whereabouts of their missing children. As the Madres de la Plaza movement gained popularity, the military junta continued to face growing demands for justice and democracy, corruption charges, and the constant economic woes. To create a surge in nationalism, in 1982 the armed forces attempted to seize the Falkland/Malvinas Islands and were soundly defeated by the British. Humiliated and discredited, the junta began preparing for its exit from power, and “the Dirty War” came to a close.