458 • Chronology
1925-1941 Reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi in Persia, renamed Iran
1928-1929 Wailing Wall Incident; Arab rebellion in Palestine
1930 Passfield White Paper blames Jewish immigration and land
purchases in Palestine for the Arab rebellion
1932 Iraq given independence, but Britain keeps bases and oil
interests; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia established
1936 Montreux Convention gives Turkey control of Straits; Arab
rebellion in Palestine; Anglo-Egyptian treaty signed, limiting
British control of Egypt
1937 Peel Commission calls for Palestine partition, opposed by Arabs
1939 British White Paper limits Jewish immigration into Palestine;
most Middle East states declare neutrality as World War II
breaks out
1941 British troops crush nationalist revolt in Iraq, occupy Syria and
Lebanon; Britain and USSR invade Iran, and Reza Shah
abdicates
1941-1979 Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in Iran
1942 British make Egypt's Faruq appoint pro-Allied cabinet; Allies
halt German advance at al-Alamain; Zionists issue Biltmore
Program
1943 Lebanese Christians and Muslims adopt national pact
1945 Arab League formed; United Nations formed; Jewish resistance
mounts against British in Palestine; French quit Syria and
Lebanon
1946 UN pressures USSR to quit Azerbaijan; Anglo-American
Committee of Inquiry visits Palestine; Transjordan becomes
independent
1947 Truman Doctrine pledges aid to Greece and Turkey against
USSR; Britain submits Palestine mandate to UN, which sets up
Special Committee on Palestine; UN General Assembly accepts
Palestine Partition Plan
1948 Israel declares independence as British troops quit Palestine;
Arab armies attack but are defeated; most Palestinian Arabs flee
1949 Arab states and Israel sign armistice agreements; Abdallah
annexes West Bank, creating Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan;
three coups in Syria
1950 Turkey's Demokrat Party defeats Republican People's Party