Heinrich Rau

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East German stamp of Rau

Heinrich Rau (2 April 1899 in Feuerbach, an area of Stuttgart; † 23. March 1961 in East Berlin) was East German statesman, member of the Politburo of the central committee of the SED, chairman of the national plan commission of the GDR as well as Minister for mechanical engineering and for foreign trade and German domestic trade.

Rau completed his training as punch and Metallpresser and worked, interrupted from the war service 1917/18, from 1915 to 1920 at the Bosch factory works in Stuttgart Feuerbach. Since 1913 he was active in the worker movement. He joined the Spartakusgruppe in 1916, the USPD in 1917 and the KPD in 1919. In 1918 he participated in the November Revolution in Stuttgart and was director/conductor of the military police in the city Zuffenhausen (a part of Stuttgart). In the years 1919-1920 he was chairman of the KPD Ortsgruppe Zuffenhausen, afterwards to 1923 coworkers of the central committee of the KPD. He informed 1921-1930 at the land and central schools of the KPD. Starting from 1923 he was director/conductor of the department of country with the ZK of the KPD and member of the international committee of the land and Forstarbeiter, starting from 1924 member of the executive committee of the realm farmer federation, starting from 1928 of delegates of the Prussian federal state parliament, starting from 1930 member of the international farmer advice in Moscow and starting from 1931 office member of the European farmer committee.

In 1933 he was arrested and condemned at the end of 1934 beside Bernhard Bästlein by the people's court because of “preparation to the high treason” to two years penintentiary. After his release from custody, he emigrated in 1935 to the USSR, where he was deputy director/conductor of the international agrarian institute in Moscow. He went to Spain in 1937, where he after attendance of the commander school as an intructor, chief of staff and last a commander of the XI International Brigade in the Spanish civil war up to his Verwundung 1938 participated. Until 1939 he was director/conductor of the emergency committee of the German and Austrian Spain fighters and member of the KPD Landesleitung in Paris. Rau was arrested in 1939 and sent to Camp Vernet, the French internment centre. 1942 he was delivered to the Gestapo, sat until 1943 in the Gestapo prison in the prince Albrecht road and until 1945 in the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, where he participated in the camp rebellion.

[edit] East Germany

After his return to Germany he became member of the provisional commission for the execution of the land reform and chairman of the Landessequesterkommission in Brandenburg. he joined the SED in 1946. 1946-1948 he was state parliament delegate and Minister for economic planning of Brandenburg, 1948-1949 chairman of the German economic commission. Since 1949 he was a delegate of the Volkskammer, member of the central committee and candidate of the Politburo of the SED, since 1950 member of the Politburo as well as deputy chairman of the East German Council of Ministers. In 1949-1950 he was Minister for planning of the GDR and in 1950-1952 chairman of the national plan commission. In 1952-1953, he led the coordination center for industry and traffic at the East German Council of Ministers, in 1953-1955 he was Minister for mechanical engineering and in 1955-1961 Ministers for foreign trade and German domestic trade. In 1954 he received the patriotic earnings/service medal.