World War II Timeline By pristinep Nov 11, 1918 End of WWI Jan 1, 1919 Hitler joins the Nazi Party Jan 1, 1921 Fascist Party established under Mussolini Italy Jan 1, 1922 Establishment of the USSR Oct 31, 1922 Mussolini takes over in Italy Jan 1, 1924 Death of Vladmir Lenin; control of USSR to Joseph Stalin; deaths of 8-13 million Russians Jan 1, 1928 US and 61 other countries sign Kellogg-Briand Pact Jan 1, 1931 Japanease invasion of Manchuria Jan 1, 1933 Roosevelt takes office Jan 1, 1935 Itlaian troops conquer Ethiopia Aug 31, 1935 US begins passing Neutrality Acts Jan 1, 1936 Civial wWar begins in Spain under Francisco Franco Jan 1, 1936 German troops invade Rhineland Jan 1, 1936 Hitler announces secret plans for lebensraum Jul 1, 1937 Japan invades China Nov 5, 1937 Hitler begins military buildup Jan 1, 1938 Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, establishing the Third Reich Mar 12, 1938 Hitler takes Austria Sep 30, 1938 Munich Agreement: Sudentenland to Germany Jan 1, 1939 Franco is succesful in Spain Jan 1, 1939 Russian army into Finland Finns surrender in three months Mar 15, 1939 Czechoslovakia falls to Hitler Aug 23, 1939 Non-aggresion pact; Germany and Russia; divided Poland Sep 1, 1939 Totalitarian government established in USSR Sep 1, 1939 German invasion of Poalnd; blitzkrieg Jan 1, 1940 Defeat of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg by Germany Jan 1, 1940 British and French defeat at Dunkrik Jan 1, 1940 Italy enter the war on the side 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 7, 1945 France surrenders to Germany
