Alexander Raven Thomson
| Alexander Raven Thomson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1899 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 1955 (aged 55–56) London, England |
| Cause of death | cancer |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | Manufacturer of silver paper |
| Known for | Fascist politician and writer |
| Home town | London |
| Political party | British Union of Fascists, Union Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Lisbeth Röntgen |
| Children | Three |
| Relatives | Alexander Thomson (grandfather) |
Alexander Raven Thomson (1899–1955) (usually known as Raven) was a Scottish politician best known for his membership of the British Union of Fascists and was considered to be the party's chief ideologue. He has been described as the "Alfred Rosenberg of British fascism".
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he came from a leading family and was the grandson of the architect Alexander Thomson. Thomson was educated in universities in his homeland, the United States and briefly Heidelberg University in Germany, studying sciences and philosophy. In 1926 he became a partner in an engineering firm in London. Whilst studying in Germany, Thomson met and married Lisbeth, the daughter of x-ray pioneer Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. They would go on to have three children together; Lisbeth already had a daughter from a previous relationship, while Thomson also had a long-term mistress, Olive Burdett. Upon his return to Britain he made his money from the manufacture of silver paper, a process he had learned in Germany.
Thomson became a leading authority on the works of Oswald Spengler and in 1932 published the book Civilization as Divine Superman, which rejected Spengler's theories about the decline of civilisation, arguing that it could be avoided by the rejection of capitalism and its replacement with collectivism. In this conviction he was influenced by Maurice Maeterlinck, who had written of "insect communities" in which a communal spirit was shared by all members of a "hive". Thomson's political career began with his joining the Communist Party of Great Britain, although his membership did not last long as he rejected notions of historical materialism and moved more towards corporatism. His 1932 book Civilization as Divine Superman: A Superorganic Philosophy of History marked his drift towards a fascistic outlook.
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