In history classes I never heard much about what was happening in the middle east during this time. Were they active parties? Was the sociopolitical situation similar to what it is now?
This is far too large question. Those 30 years saw the end of the Ottoman Empire, the rapid rise of the Zionist movement, the discovery of oil, the independence of the modern Arab states, on and on and on.
A good overview would be Eugene Rogan's The Arabs: A History
WW1: Britain was fighting against the Ottoman empire alongside Arab rebels, collapse of the Ottoman empire.
WW2: Soviet/British occupation of Iran, fighting in Syria and Lebanon between the allies and Vichy France with German support.