 Polish culture during World War II was suppressed by the occupying powers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union , both of whom were hostile to Poland 's people and cultural heritage . <unk> aimed at cultural <unk> resulted in the deaths of thousands of scholars and artists , and the theft and destruction of <unk> cultural artifacts . The " <unk> of the Poles was one of many ways in which the Nazi and Soviet regimes had grown to resemble one another " , wrote British historian Niall Ferguson . 
