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| 1974–83 |
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| Replacement, in South Yemen, of Islamic and tribal law with secular codes on family law (1974), personal law (1976), and civil law (1983). The reforms significantly reduced the jurisdiction and influence of the religious establishment. | 1 |
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| 1974, June 13 |
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| A MILITARY COUP in North Yemen overthrew Pres. Iryani and replaced him with Lt. Col. Ibrahim Muhammad al-Hamdi. Hamdi suspended the constitution of 1971 and presided over an executive council that came to function as the new government. | 2 |
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| 1975 |
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| Introduction of a commercial code in North Yemen. Secular courts were created to administer the new code the following year. The reform helped to undercut the power of the religious establishment. | 3 |
| Founding of the University of Aden. | 4 |
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| 1977, Oct. 11 |
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| Murder of North Yemeni president Hamdi under mysterious circumstances. The next president was Ahmad Husayn al-Ghashmi, the former deputy commander of the army. Ghashmi himself was assassinated in June 1978. Lt. Col. Ali Abdallah Salih emerged as the new president. | 5 |
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| 1978 |
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| A MILITARY COUP overthrew Pres. Rubayi Ali in South Yemen. Abd al-Fattah Isma`il was installed as his successor. Two years later, a power struggle led to the dismissal of Isma`il. Ali Nasir Muhammad became the new president and also assumed the office of prime minister and general secretary of the Yemeni Socialist Party. | 6 |
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| 1979 |
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| Introduction of military conscription in North Yemen. The chief significance of this step was to enlarge the army (to 37,000 troops by 1986) and reduce its dependence on tribal levies. The net effect was to increase the state's power and freedom of action. | 7 |
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| Feb |
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| Resumption of fighting between North and South Yemen. By the time peace was restored in 1982, the North Yemeni government had secured its border and decisively defeated rebels who had been operating in its southern provinces with assistance from South Yemen. | 8 |
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| Dec. 27 |
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| Election of Abd al-Fattah Isma`il as president of South Yemen. | 9 |
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