1900:
1902:
1903: Anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia;
1904:
1905: Greeks in Crete revolt against Turks;
1906:
1907: Royal Dutch Shell Company founded;
1908: Young Turks revolt in Macedonia, the new Ottoman Parliament, with a large Young Turk majority, meets;
1909: Sultan Abdul Hamid II deposed by Young Turks; Mohammed Ali, Shah of Persia, deposed;
1910:
1911: Turk-Italian war with Italy defeating Turks and annexing Tripoli - 1st use of aircraft for offensive measures;
1912: Turkey closes Dardanelles to shipping; Montenegro declares war on Turkey; Turkey asks Powers for intervention in Balkan War; armistice b/n Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro & Turkey;
1913: Balkan War - Bulgarians take Adrianople & Turkey signs armistice; Outbreak of 2nd Balkan War - Bulgaria attacks Serbia & Greece, Russia declares war on Bulgaria, Turks recapture Adrianople, armistice signed & Bulgarian-Turkey treaty; Serbia invades Albania; peace treaty b/n Greece & Turkey;
1914: Serbia-Turkey peace treaty;
1915:
WWI:
The Ottoman Empire initiates forced deportation of Armenians.
Anglo-Fr-Australian landings at Gallipoli; Under the command of Mustafa Kemal, the Ottoman army successfully repels Britain invasion of the Dardanelles in Turkey.
Seige of Kut. 8000 British men surrender to Ottomans outside of Baghdad - the largest British surrender since Aerican Revolutionary War.
1916:
1917:
WWI:
Russian Revolution occurs, ceasing hostilities in the Caucasus, allowing Enver Pasha to establish the Army of Islam and retake lands in eastern Anatolia from Russia, ultimately to pre-war borders.
1918:
WWI:
collapse of Turkish resistance in Palestine
Armistice of Mudros, ending hostilities in the Middle Eastern theater of World War I, including Clause VII, stating that “The Allies to have the right to occupy any strategic points in the event of any situation arising which threatens the security of the Allies.”[6] This clause was subsequently used by the Greeks, Italians, French, and British to occupy parts of Ottoman lands felt to be in their territorial interests.
1919:
Greek troops land in and occupy Izmir (classical Smyrna), with Allied approval. Greek atrocities begin on the local Turkish Muslim civilian population, leading to widespread Turkish disaffection.
Turkish War of Independence commences
Fighting b/n France & Syria;
Egypt's Saad Zaghloul orchestrated mass demonstrations in Egypt known as the First Revolution which was repressed by the British killing 800.
1920:
Syrian forces were defeated by the French in the Battle of Maysalun;
Iraqi forces were defeated by the British when they revolted.
Treaty of Sèvres, marking the beginning of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. Rejected by Turkish nationalists and eventually leads to the abolition of the monarchy by the Government of the Grand National Assembly based in Ankara.
League of Nations formed but US Senate votes against joining it;
1921: Kemal defeats the British-backed Greeks in Turkey;
1922:
the (nominally) independent Kingdom of Egypt was created following the British government's issuance of the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence.
the great Mustapha Kemal “Ataturk” who had defeated the Anzacs at Gallipoli in WWI, removing the caliph dynasty and abolishing the Ottoman dynasty, he proclaims Turkey a republic and begins reforms to westernise Turkey;
1923: Ankara replaces Istanbul as capital of Turkey;
1924: Abolition of the Caliphate by Grand National Assembly of Turkey
1925: Hitler reorganises Nazi Party & publishes 1st volume of “Mein Kampf”;
1926: reforms in Turkey - abolition of polygamy/modernisation of female attire/prohibition of fez/adoption of Latin alphabet;
1927:
1928:
1929:
1930: Constantinople changed to Instabul;
1930:
1932: Ibn Saud renames his kingdom Saudi Arabia;
1933: Hitler appointed German chancellor;
1934:
1935: German Nuremberg Laws against Jews; USSR concludes treaties with France, Czech., US & Turkey; Mussolini invades Abyssinia; Kemal adopts Swiss standards, abolishing polygamy, allowing women to vote & then adopting Latin alphabet for Turkey;
1936: Mussolini & Hitler proclaim Rome-Berlin Axis;
1936:
1937:
1938: anti-Jewish legislation enacted in Italy; Kemal “Ataturk”, the father of modern Turkey dies;
1939: earthquake in Anatolia, Turkey claims 45,000 victims;
world war II:
Germany invades Poland on 1st Sept 1939 and annexes Danzig
Britain & France declare war on Germany as part of the Anglo-Polish and Franco-Polish treaties of alliance
Cairo became a major military base for the British who then occupied Egypt who cited the 1936 treaty that allowed it to station troops on Egyptian soil to protect the Suez Canal.
1940:
1941:
world war II:
the Rashīd `Alī al-Gaylānī coup in Iraq led to the British invading, leading to the Anglo-Iraqi War.
British invade Abyssinia (Ethiopia); German counter-offensive in north Africa;
Rommel attacks Tobruk;
Hitler created a new urgency in the Zionist quest to immigrate to Palestine and create a Jewish state leading to conflicts with Arabian and Persian nationalism who wanted a Palestine state.
1942:
world war II:
the 26 Allies pledge not to make separate peace treaties with the enemies;
Rommel takes Tobruk;
battle of El Alamein begins; 400,000 US troops land in French North Africa;
Rommel in full retreat loses Tobruk & Benghazi;
1951: King Abdullah of Jordan assassinated in Jerusalem;
1952:
Egypt: anti-British riots erupt; Gen. Naguib seizes power, King Farouk abdicates in favour of his son. 1923 constitution abolished;
Israel & Germany agree on restitution for damages done to Jews by Nazis;
1953: Egypt becomes a republic; USSR severs relations with Israel from Feb-July; Stalin dies;
1954: Nasser seizes power in Egypt;
1955: raids on Israel-Jordan border increase;
1956: Jordan & Israel accept UN truce proposals;
1957: Eisenhower formulates “Eisenhower Doctrine” for protection of Middle Eastern nations from Communist aggression; Israel withdraws from Sinai Pen. & hand over Gaza strip to UN forces; US resumes aid to Israel; King Hussein declares martial law in Jordan;
1958: European Common Market; Egypt & Sudan join to form United Arab Republic; England & Spain sign trade pact; USSR grants loan to UAR for building Aswan Dam;
1959: Britain & UAR resume diplomatic relations;
1960: Cyprus independence
1961:
1962: earthquake in northwestern Iran kills 10,000;
1963: UAR, Syria & Iraq agree to union;
1964: UN peace force takes over in Cyprus; Turkish planes attack Cyprus; King Saud of Saudi Arabia deposed, his son, Faisal becomes king;
1966:
1967: Israeli forces use tanks against Syria; Israeli Mirage fighters shoot down 6 Syrian MIG-21s; six-day war b/n Israel & Arab nations;
1968: Aswan Dam completed; Iran earthquake kills 12,000;
1969: Al Fatah leader Yasir Arafat elected Chairman of Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) & shifts his main guerilla forces to Jordan;
1970: Arab commandos hijack 3 passenger jets;
1971: Algeria seizes control of all French oil & gas interests within its borders but promises restitution;
1972: Arab terrorists kill 2 Jewish athletes in Munich Olympics;
1973: Arab-Israeli fighting breaks out again; OPEC oil embargo; E & W Germany establish diplomatic relations;
1974: Kissinger finally persuades Syria & Israel to agree to ceasefire;
1975:
1979: Soviets invade Afghanistan;
1980:
1981:
1982:
1983:
1986:
1989: Gorbachev decides to withdraw Soviet troops from fruitless campaign in Afghanistan
1990: 35,000 killed in Iranian earthquake;
1991:
1994:
1995:
1996:
1997: Chechnya sinks into anarchy & under influence of militant Arab Wahhabi fighters.
1999: Chechen fighters stage incursion into Dagestan, residential blocks blown up in Moscow & Volgadonsk killing 300. Chechen insurgents blamed. War breaks out again.