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End of World War I
World War I ended with the Treaty of Versailles, making Germany take all the blame for the war. -
Fascist Party established under Mussolini in Italy
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Hitler joins the Nazi Party
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Mussolini takes over in Italy
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Establishment of the USSR
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Deaths of 8-13 million Russians
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Death of Vladimir Lenin
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Joseph Stalin gains control of USSR
Joseph Stalin gains control of the Soviet Union soon after the death of Vladimir Lenin. -
US and 61 other countries sign Kellogg-Briand Pact
(General Treaty for the Renunciation of War) was signed by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, and a number of other countries. -
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
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Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany, establishing the Third Reich
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Roosevelt takes office
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US begins passing Neutrality Acts
Congress passed four neutrality acts to limit America's involvement in foreign conflicts. -
Hitler begins military buildup
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Italian troops conquer Ethiopia
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German troops invade Rhineland
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Japan invades China
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Civil War begins in Spain under Francisco Franco
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Hitler announces secret plans for lebensraum
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Hitler takes Austria
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Munich Agreement
Axis powers sign agreement to work together. -
Sudetenland to Germany
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Franco is successful in Spain
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Totalitarian government established in USSR
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Czechoslovakia falls to Hitler
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Non-aggression pact bewtween Germany and Russia; divide Poland.
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German invasion of Poland; Blitzkrieg
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Russian army into Finland
The Finns surrender in three months. -
Defeat of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg by Germany
Belgium (May 1940), the Netherlands (May 1940), Luxembourg (May 1940). -
German invasion of Denmark and Norway
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British and French defeat at Dunkirk
The Dunkirk evacuation, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France. -
Italy enters the war on the side of Germany and invades France
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France surrenders to Germany
The French surrendered at Compiegne. -
Plans for an Invasion of Great Britain; beginning of the Battle of Britain
July 10- October 31, 1940.
Considered Germany's first major defeat, and one of the crucial turning points in the war.
