World War II TImeline By tbump Nov 11, 1918 End of WW I Jan 1, 1919 Hitler joins the Nazi party Jan 1, 1921 Fascist Party established under Mussolini in Italy Jan 1, 1922 Establishment of the USSR Oct 1, 1922 Mussolini takes over in Italy Jan 1, 1924 Death of Vladimir Lenin; Control of USSR to Joseph Stalin; deaths of 8-13 million Russians Jan 1, 1928 US and 61 other contries sign Kellogg-Briand Pact Jan 1, 1931 Japanese Invasion of Manchuria Jan 1, 1933 Roosevelt takes office Jan 1, 1935 US begins passing Neutrality Acts Jan 1, 1935 Hitler begins military buildup Jan 1, 1936 Civil War begins in Spain under Francisco Franco Jan 1, 1936 German troops invade Rhineland Jun 1, 1936 Italian troops conquer Ethiopia Jul 1, 1937 Japan invades China Nov 5, 1937 Hitler announces secret plans for Lebensraum Mar 12, 1938 Hitler takes Austria Sep 30, 1938 Munich Agreement; Sudetenland to Germany Jan 1, 1939 Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, establishing the Third Reich Jan 1, 1939 Franco is successful in Spain Jan 1, 1939 Totalitarian government established in USSR Jan 1, 1939 Russian army into Finland (Finns surrender in three months) Mar 15, 1939 Czechoslovakia falls to Hitler Aug 23, 1939 Non-aggression pact; Germany and Russia; divide Poland Sep 1, 1939 German invasion of Poland; blitzkrieg Jan 1, 1940 British and French defeat at Dunkirk Jan 1, 1940 Italy enters the war on theside of Germany and invades France Jan 1, 1940 Plans for an invasion of Great Britain; beginning of the Battle of Britain Apr 9, 1940 German invasion of Denmark and Norway May 1, 1940 Defeat of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg by Germany Jun 22, 1940 France surrenders to Germany
