Final answer:
The death toll in World War II was high due to large-scale military casualties, civilian casualties, and the specific countries affected. Russia and China had the highest casualty rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The death toll in World War II was high due to several factors:
- Large-scale military casualties: More than 25 million military personnel died during the war, including prisoners of war. This was due to intense fighting on multiple fronts and the use of new technology such as aerial bombing.
- Civilian casualties: Around 55 million civilians died during the war. Aerial bombing of cities resulted in significant civilian casualties, and war-related disease and famine further contributed to the high death toll.
- Specific countries affected: Russia and China experienced the highest casualty rates, with China losing at least 20 million people and the Soviet Union losing a total of about 28 million.
These factors, combined with the global scale of the conflict, led to the exceptionally high death toll in World War II.