{{Infobox officeholder | name = Paul Wandel | image = Fotothek df pk 0000213 031.jpg | caption = | office1 = Ambassador of the German Democratic Republic to China | term_start1 = 1958 | term_end1 = 1961 | predecessor1 = Richard Gyptner | successor1 = Josef Hegen | office2 = Member of the Volkskammer | term_start2 = 1954 | term_end2 = 1958 | office3 = Minister of Education of the German Democratic Republic | term_start3 = 1949 | term_end3 = 1952 | predecessor3 = ''Office established'' | successor3 = Elisabeth Zaisser | prime_minister3 = Otto Grotewohl | birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|2|16|df=y}} | birth_place = Mannheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire | death_date = {{Death date and age|1995|6|3|1905|2|16|df=y}} | death_place = Berlin, Germany | citizenship = East German | party = Party of Democratic Socialism (1989–)<br>Socialist Unity Party (1946–1989)<br/>Communist Party of Germany (1926–1946) | other_party = Communist Party of the Soviet Union | occupation = | spouse = Helene Berg | alma_mater = International Lenin School | awards = Patriotic Order of Merit, honor clasp (1980)<br>Order of Karl Marx (1975)<br/>Star of People's Friendship (1970)<br>Patriotic Order of Merit, in gold (1955) | image_size = 270 }} '''Paul Wandel''' (February 16, 1905 – June 3, 1995) was a German communist politician and statesman in the German Democratic Republic who served as the first Minister of People's Education.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek|url=https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&query=11713662X|access-date=2021-06-04|website=portal.dnb.de|language=de}}</ref>
== Biography == In 1919 Wandel completed his apprenticeship as an electrical engineer and later worked as a technician. In the same year he joined the Sozialistischen Arbeiterjugend and later on the Young Communist League of Germany and finally the Communist Party of Germany in 1926.
He quickly rose through the ranks and became the first secretary of the KPD district committee in Baden and later became chairman of the parliamentary group of the KPD in Mannheim.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Weber|first=Hermann|title=Deutsche Kommunisten. Biographisches Handbuch 1918 bis 1945.|last2=Herbst|first2=Andreas|publisher=Karl Dietz|year=2004|location=Berlin}}</ref>
In 1931 he was sent to the Soviet Union and graduated from the International Lenin School, joined the All-Union Communist Party (b) and worked at the Marx–Engels–Lenin Institute.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Paul Wandel - Munzinger Biographie|url=https://www.munzinger.de/search/go/document.jsp?id=00000002826|access-date=2021-06-04|website=www.munzinger.de}}</ref>
After the end of World War II, Wandel returned to Germany and served as the chairman of the Central Administration for People's Education from 1945 to 1949 and then Minister of People's Education from 1949 to 1952. After his term as minister ended he was the secretary of Culture and Education Department at the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party.
From 1958 to 1961 he served as DDR's ambassador to the People's Republic of China and then was appointed deputy Foreign Minister.
From 1964 to 1976 he was Chairman of League of Friendship Among Nations and from 1982 to 1989 he was chairman of the DDR–People's Republic of China Friendship Committee.<ref name=":1" />
After German reunification he became a member of the Party of Democratic Socialism.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{reflist}} {{commons category}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wandel, Paul}} Category:1905 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Politicians from Mannheim Category:People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Category:Communist Party of Germany politicians Category:Members of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany Category:Government ministers of East Germany Category:Members of the 1st Volkskammer Category:Members of the 2nd Volkskammer Category:Ambassadors of East Germany to China Category:German expatriates in the Soviet Union Category:German Comintern people Category:International Lenin School alumni Category:Recipients of the Order of Karl Marx Category:Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp)