World War II, or the Second World War took place from 1939 to 1945. It involved most of the world's major countries divided into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. In total, more than 100 million military personnel were mobilized during this war. The Holocaust was the genocide or killing of approximately six million Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II. Read on to learn more about the holocaust. Causes of the Holocaust Holocaust Background Hitler's Rise to Power Hitler's Propaganda Nazi Racial Classification The Next Steps The Holocaust Start of World War II Further Changes in Germany The German Jews Wannsee Conference End of World War II After the Holocaust The Nuremberg Trials Genocide Awareness and the United Nations Books on the Holocaust