World War II, or World War II (commonly abbreviated as PDII or PD2), is a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. This war involved many countries in the world-including all the major powers-which eventually formed two military alliances contradictory: Allies and Axis. This war is the largest war in history involving more than 100 million people in various military forces. In a state of "total war," the major powers maximized their economic, industrial and scientific capabilities for war, thus wiping out the distinction between civilian and military resources. Characterized by a number of important events involving the mass death of civilians, including the Holocaust and the use of nuclear weapons in battle, this war cost around 50 million to 70 million lives.
