Open Access

Agnes Blome

• After World War II, the two Germanies developed very different childcare systems: Governments in West Germany (FRG) actively supported mothers to care for their children at home, while East German (GDR) governments, in a socialist tradition, encouraged mothers’ labour market participation by providing early childhood education and care (ECEC). This chapter examines the role that the experiences of the former socialist part played in the adoption of ECEC policy in Germany, more than 15 years after unification. Based on parliamentary debates, newspaper articles, and official reports, it appears that the GDR, renowned for its comprehensive and universal childcare provision, was barely acknowledged. The GDR was only seen as a role model in the early 1990s. At that time, the two very different systems had to be reconciled, and it became evident that fully adopting the Western approach would hinder Eastern women’s rights. When the role of education in ECEC became central in the early 2000s, an open recourse to the GDR did not seemAfter World War II, the two Germanies developed very different childcare systems: Governments in West Germany (FRG) actively supported mothers to care for their children at home, while East German (GDR) governments, in a socialist tradition, encouraged mothers’ labour market participation by providing early childhood education and care (ECEC). This chapter examines the role that the experiences of the former socialist part played in the adoption of ECEC policy in Germany, more than 15 years after unification. Based on parliamentary debates, newspaper articles, and official reports, it appears that the GDR, renowned for its comprehensive and universal childcare provision, was barely acknowledged. The GDR was only seen as a role model in the early 1990s. At that time, the two very different systems had to be reconciled, and it became evident that fully adopting the Western approach would hinder Eastern women’s rights. When the role of education in ECEC became central in the early 2000s, an open recourse to the GDR did not seem appropriate. The GDR spectre of state-socialised education and the debates on its assumed negative consequences for children and adults impeded policy transfer regarding educational purposes in ECEC. The focus shifted to the Nordic countries instead, which are known for being established democracies and forerunners of the social investment state. These countries were regarded as more legitimate sources of learning than the GDR, particularly because they were frequently cited as role models by international organisations such as the OECD or the EU.…