"It started in the mid 1800's, and the stars were finally aligned just right in 1940." That is what my history professor said today. He explained that the roots of WW2 began around the same time as the French Revolution. He also explained that events like the Boxer Rebellion, the Franco-Prussian war, and obviously WW1 directly influenced WW2.
Could anyone give me a direct timeline of the events that influenced WW2 up till it actually began?
Your question is probably too big for an answer here. It might even be too big for an answer anywhere. Depending on your philosophical thought about History your question might literally be asking for a list of every single historical event worldwide between 1830? and 1940.
I suggest you try to think about the question in smaller sections.
For example: WW1 was a huge event every factor and event prior to WW1 that set up WW2 passes through the filter of WW1. This allows us to ask instead "How did WW1 lead to WW2?"
Then you can ask "How did the Franco-Prussian war lead to WW1?" "How did the French Revolution lead to the Franco-Prussian war?" "How did Industrialization lead to colonial conflict?" "How did 19th century philosophers influence the creation of new ideas about government?" "What factors led to Japan's rapid rise as an imperialist power?"
I suggest you try working backward from WW2 and try to understand the events of the 30's that led to WW2. Then figure out the events of the 20's that led to the 30's and so on.