Vortrag
From Capitalism to Socialism and Back: Mixed Social Forms in the Care for Older People

This presentation challenges the common assumption that care for older people under socialism was fully centralized and state-controlled, with mixed economies of welfare emerging only after 1989. Instead, I argue that in East Germany, Czechoslovakia (Czechia), and Poland, care provision has long reflected mixed social forms, combining state, family, and community contributions. Even under socialism, state-organized care coexisted with informal networks and non-state actors, revealing the limitations of socialist states in fully managing care. The postsocialist transition intensified this welfare pluralism, incorporating capitalist market mechanisms and civil society organizations into evolving care systems. In East Germany, reunification realigned the care sector with Western capitalist norms; in Czechia, efforts to expand community-based care have faced significant challenges; and in Poland, informal family care remains dominant. Focusing on care for older people highlights how mixed social forms have been a consistent feature of care regimes since the postwar period. Rather than representing a complete break, the transitions to capitalism in these three countries deepened pre-existing hybrid structures. This perspective offers valuable insights into the long history of care work, gender relations, and social equity in aging societies, while contributing to broader debates on capitalist transformations in East-Central Europe. The presentation draws on oral history interviews and archival research on caregivers, organizations, and institutions in the three countries.
The presentation is part of Conference Stream 4 on "Postwar Socialism and Mixed Social Forms in ECE", organized by Adela Hîncu, Attila Melegh, and Adrian Grama.

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