Argentine Army was used to eliminate strikers in Santa Cruz. Lt. Col. Varela commanded the operation. Between 1,500 and 3,000 workers were executed. 1930: General José Félix Uriburu made a coup d'état and became the first de facto President of Argentina. The military continues overthrowing civilian governments until 1983. 1933: The Argentine Submarine Force was established. Postwar After the war, the military's role began to shift from the previous appearance as protector of the constitution and of the people against corruption. Military leaders during the postwar period began increasingly imposing their own rules and standards on the political system so that, in the end, the armed forces came to dominate the political system. This began during World War II, between 1939 and 1945. The civilian government considered joining the allies, but many officers in the armed forces and ordinary citizens objected due to fears over the spread of communism. This was a factor contributing to the military coup of 1943. Pedro Pablo Ramírez, who had been attached to the Kaiser's army and later Mussolini's in the twenties, became dictator. In 1944 he was replaced by Edelmiro Julián Farrell, who had spent two years attached to Mussolini's army. The government maintained a neutral policy but towards the end of the war, Farrell bowed to intense pressure from the United States. Like several Latin American states, Argentina made a late declaration of war against Germany. Timeline of postwar military history 1959: The ARA Independencia (V-1) became the first aircraft carrier of the Argentine Navy. 1974–1983: The Dirty War, a period of state-sponsored violence, occurred, as a response to widespread leftist guerrilla movements that threatened the society and civil existence of the country 1978: After Argentine repudiation of an obligatory arbitration to settle a territorial dispute with Chile concerning the Beagle Channel, General Jorge Rafael Videla moved troops to the Andes mountains. The Argentine Operation Soberanía to invade the islands was stopped with mediation from the Holy See. The crisis lasts up to 1984, over the Falklands War. 1982: Falklands War (). The Argentine Armed Forces invaded the Falkland Islands. In a ten-week war 255 British and 649 Argentines were killed. The war ended with Britain reclaiming the islands. Argentina's defeat caused the collapse of the military junta. 1990s: Argentina became greatly involved in UN peacekeeping missions around the world. 1991: Argentine Navy ships and Air Force transport aircraft participated in the 1991