The Faure report and the Western and Soviet concepts of lifelong education

When the Faure report was published in 1972, the Soviet Union already had a robust and holistic cradle-to-grave, lifewide, lifelong education (LLE) system in place. Parts of this system and some of its ideology were reflected in the Faure report, thanks in large part to the contribution of one of the commissioners and authors, Arthur Petrovsky, professor of psychology and member of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences (USSR). However, despite claiming to be a guideline for all UNESCO Member States, presenting both socialist and capitalist educational practices, the LLE model constructed in the Faure report is largely grounded in the Western intellectual tradition and mostly reflects the capitalist world's challenges and conflicts, neglecting much of the USSR's system at that time. This article, submitted for inclusion in a special issue marking the 50th anniversary of the Faure report, helps fill the gap of academic knowledge concerning the USSR's role in the development of LLE and examines the bidirectional relationship between the Soviet Union and the Faure report.