Prior to this time, Judah had been a vassal of the Assyrian empire, but the rapid decline of Assyria after c. 630 led Josiah to assert his independence and institute a religious reform stressing loyalty to Yahweh, the national God.

Prior to achieving its independence, Cuba was a colony of Spain.

Prior to independence as Zimbabwe, the nation had been known by several names: Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.

Prior to Lesotho's independence in 1966, the only paved road in the country was the Kingsway in the capital, Maseru, between the Mejametalana Airport and the Royal Palace.

Prior to the independence as a modern state in 1947, the country was both independent and under various colonial empires throughout different time periods.

Prior to independence, the French establishment and Catholic Church feared Opangault's radicalism and favored the rise of Fulbert Youlou, a former priest.

Prior to Belarus gaining its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the language was known in English as Byelorussian or Belorussian, transliterating the Russian name,, or alternatively as White Ruthenian or White Russian.

Prior to independence, the act allowed the U. S to maintain military forces in the Philippines and to call all military forces of the Philippine government into U. S. military service.

Prior to independence, " Harare " was the name of the Black residential area now known as Mbare.

Prior to Mozambique's independence in 1975, thousands of tourists from South Africa and Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe ) frequented the city and its scenic beaches, high-quality hotels, restaurants, casinos and brothels.

Prior to Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836, the town was listed as under the jurisdiction of the town of Mier, Tamaulipas, and prior to Mexican independence existed under Spanish rule.

Prior to independence, the People's Republic of China supported the country's indigenous movement for independence against the Portuguese Empire and the relationship continued after independence.

Prior to independence, Al Ain was part of the Arabian slave trade network that extended from east Africa into the Persian Gulf.

Prior to independence, funaná was denigrated by colonial authorities, who considered it African.

Prior to June 1776, the New Jersey delegation in the First Continental Congress was opposed to independence.

Prior to the independence of Liberia in 1847, executive power in the Commonwealth of Liberia was held by the Governor of Liberia, who was appointed by the American Colonization Society.

Prior to independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman managed to convince the sultans to cede some states ' powers to the federal government.

Prior to independence it was expanded to form one contiguous territory, with a total land area of 6, 807 km².

Prior to being president, he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front ( EPLF ) to victory in May 1991, thus ending the 30-year-old armed liberation struggle for Eritrean independence.

Prior to this, he was a leading figure in the independence movement and then the new government, and played a crucial role in facilitating and protecting Botswana ’ s steady financial growth and development.

Prior to independence, the districts of Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur were home to a large number of Muslim Maliks.

Prior to statehood, it housed federal government offices, the federal courthouse and a post office.

The Reagan Doctrine was especially significant because it represented a substantial shift in the post – World War II foreign policy of the U. S. Prior to the Reagan Doctrine, U. S. foreign policy in the Cold War was rooted in " containment ," as originally defined by George F. Kennan, John Foster Dulles, and other post – World War II U. S. foreign policy experts.

Prior to this merger, the head of local government was the County Judge / Executive, a post that still exists but now has few powers.

Prior to receiving these titles, Rincewind held the post of Assistant Librarian, but it is unclear whether or not he retains the office.

Prior to the 1900s, most barns were timber framed ( also known as post and beam ) forming very strong structures to withstand storms and heavy loads of animal feed.

Prior to organization in 1878, this area was known as Creswell, after a local post office.

Prior to the creation of ZIP codes as a way to uniquely identify addresses, United States Postal Service policy was that two post offices in a state could not have the same name, and there was already a " Woodcliff " in Hudson County.

Prior to the French and Indian War, a French trading post and block house was located on the site of the future village.

Prior to establishment of its post office with the name “ Rattan ”, the area was called Sulphur Springs, Indian Territory.

Prior to the post office inside the city of Carlton, Wilson Carl, owned the original Post Office, Stagecoach stop, and Blacksmith shop, for the area, about 7 miles West of Carlton, and his home was known as Mountain House.

Prior to Clover's founding, Bethany and Bethel, communities located a few miles west and east, respectively, were primary population centers in northern York District, with well-established Presbyterian churches, post offices and stores.

Prior to 1983, the town was known as Layopolis, while its post office was known as Sand Fork.

Prior to the establishment of the village of Harrisburg a post office named Big Darby Post Office had been established on March 13, 1834, and the name was changed to Harrisburgh Post Office on February 18, 1835.

Prior to this he had also practised law and held a post of provincial governor.

Prior to 1990, the responsibilities of the Industry, Science and Technology portfolio were divided between the now-defunct post of Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion and a Minister of State for Science and Technology.

Prior to his departure on September 2, 2003, more than 35, 000 Iraqi police were re-instated, 35 police stations were stood up in Baghdad with several more around the country, the senior deputy interior ministers were appointed and the newly established governing counsel appointed the first Iraqi Minister of Interior, post Saddam Hussein, Nouri Badran.

Prior to 1905, the name of Palestine's post office was Reedy Ripple, to distinguish its name from a community named " Palatine " in Marion County ; the name " Reedy Ripple " derived from an accumulation of gravel in the Little Kanawha River at the mouth of Reedy Creek.

However when Prior resigned, Thatcher revealed that she was going to offer him another Cabinet post during the reshuffle, which would have very likely been a non-economic one.

Prior to 1928, certain responsibilities of the Pensions and National Health portfolio were carried out by the now-defunct post of Minister of Soldiers ' Civil Re-establishment.

Prior to 1944, the responsibilities of the current Health portfolio were part of the now-defunct post of Minister of Pensions and National Health.

Prior to 1950, the responsibilities of the original Citizenship and Immigration portfolio were largely within the post of Minister of Reconstruction and Supply, with the Indian Affairs branch the responsibility of the Minister of Mines and Resources.

Prior to the handover in 1997, the Provisional Legislative Council was executing work to set up the post handover legislature.

Prior to the creation of the post, he had served as the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, from 1956 onwards.