on the eve of meaning

• [American slang]
  prep. Just before (an event). On the eve of the election, the president proposed a plan to cut taxes.
  

• eve:    Noun: eve &nb ...
• adam and eve:     (Cockney rhyming ...
• adam-and-eve:    Noun: adam-and-eve ...

Examples

1. the country was on the eve of the first revolution.
2. on the eve of death the dictator insisted on sticking to form.
3. this is a faithful record of my position on the eve of teheran.
4. coming as it did on the eve of a major war, its drama was heightened.
5. we were on the eve of war and this time the enemy would be the united states.