> but they had to lose World War 2

A better way of putting it would be to say that "Germany had a different model for education but when they lost World War 2, the standard model of education was imposed upon them by the Allies."

Otherwise it kinda comes off sounding like "if only Germany didn't lose WW2" which most folks agree would have been a poor outcome.

You are reading it wrong.

The GP is saying that they had a pretty conservative system, and could only change it for something that works after losing a war and having change imposed from foreigners.

Thanks, tried too hard to be succinct, and made it slightly ambiguous.

I guess could see a reading of it like that and will leave the original wording so your comment makes sense, and in 2017 we have to be explicit that I don't mean to condone Nazis, genocide, racial hatred, other things we associated with the German policies of WW 2 or for that matter Japanese atrocities on civilians in occupied territories or Allied prisoners.