The greatest threat to Conservatism today is that few understand it. At its core, Conservatism is a structured philosophical resistance to the powers of Entropy and chaos. It is an observance of our own divine story, rooted in the recognition that God is the ultimate embodiment of Order, while the enemy of God and mankind personifies Entropy.
Conservatives, therefore, should not simply be hesitant to embrace change for its own sake; they should recognize that tradition is sacred because it is the anchor of divine Order in the material world. As Edmund Burke and Russell Kirk understood, tradition is not merely a habit—it is the living transmission of a moral and philosophical inheritance that safeguards civilization from decay. Tradition should be among the most critical ideas to conservatives. In response to the French Revolution, Burke saw the destruction of Christian tradition as an open door to chaos. Such an experiment would dissolve the structures that pushed mankind to acknowledge the vice and sinful nature in himself. Kirk later expanded on these themes, arguing that civilization depends on recognizing a moral order shaped by divine and historical forces, not by abstract reason or revolutionary fervor.
Kirk wrote volumes defending this idea, but I believe there are other ways to convey it. Certain pieces of music evoke the sensation of realizing this truth, and I have found none that surpass Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
The Overture began as a nationalistic war anthem to celebrate Tsar Alexander I's defeat of Napoleon. In commemorating this, it enumerates the same principles of Conservatism that Burke and Kirk describe. It concerns the triumph of Russian Orthodoxy's Conservatism, tradition, and divine justice over the forces of Napoleon's liberal revolution and ideological disorder. When the French invaded Russia in 1812, an ideological confrontation between two distinct visions for civilization followed. Napoleon's empire represented the height of the Enlightenment's ideals like liberalism, secularism, and radical change. Russia defended traditional monarchy, religious faith, and cultural continuity.
Napoleon built his empire on the principles of liberalism and, therefore, the total rejection of tradition rather than the desire to amend it. His movement overthrew monarchies, upended religious authority, and sought to remake society through nationalist ideology. To Russia, this threatened the divine Order. Napoleon's military campaign became more than an invasion. It was an assault on the sacred traditions that bound Russian civilization together.
To commemorate this struggle, Tchaikovsky's use of sacred Orthodox melodies in the 1812 Overture is not just an artistic flourish. It symbolizes Russia's view of itself as a divinely appointed force against ideological subversion. The Overture opens with the hymn "O Lord, Save Thy People," conveying the Russian desire to preserve Christian civilization against Western secularism and disorder.
The Russian Orthodox Church saw itself as the last bastion of true Christianity after the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims, which further inflamed the desire to expel the secularists. Russians felt a sacred duty to maintain Order against chaos, the core of conservative philosophy.
While Tchaikovsky probably did not have such a philosophical dialogue in mind, the framework of Conservatism still appears in the Overture. More importantly, it holds up to an intense examination with Burkean and Kirkean principles in mind.
Burke saw the revolutions in France and Napoleon's empire as attempts to remake society through abstract reason, ignoring the accumulated wisdom of history. They contradicted his belief that tradition is the organic development of divine and natural law. The Overture mirrors this in moments of Order (the brass, Orthodox hymns, structured melodies), which are constantly under siege by the forces of chaos (discordant violins, rising battle sequences, and erratic musical shifts).
Kirk expanded on Burke's ideas, emphasizing that Conservatism is not just about maintaining the past but about upholding a moral order that transcends any single political system. The Overture's triumphant return to Order in its finale parallels Kirk's assertion that truth and justice will ultimately prevail over disorder—not because of human effort alone, but because of the intrinsic nature of divine justice.
The 1812 Overture is a very popular piece of music that is often overcommercialized (nearly as badly as In the Hall of the Mountain King). Because of its dramatic nature, it is frequently used in commercials and movies, especially for a cheap comedic effect. This was a problem when I first seriously listened to the song. It is hard to separate the commercial cheesiness from the artistic value of the music. But when examined in a philosophical context, it became far more important to me. It is a musical prophecy that reflects the eternal struggle between tradition and Entropy, divine Order, and chaotic destruction.
Listening to the piece with this narrative in mind allows us to feel Conservatism, not as most people describe it today, but as an active and eternal defense against the forces that seek to unravel Order. Just as Russia stood against Napoleon's liberal empire, so too does true Conservatism stand against the relentless march of cultural and moral Entropy.
To that end, I would invite you to listen to it again. It is a long piece, over 15 minutes, but when you listen to the themes, it seems to pass almost too quickly. I used the performance from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's 2007 collection Last Night of the Proms. My timestamps follow this recording. I have included a summary of the themes below for you to follow, I would love to hear your thoughts.
0:00 – 1:30 | The Prophecy
The Overture opens with a solemn and concise recitation. Sounding as if it were a poem set apart from the rest of the composition, this is the Hymn mentioned above. It stands apart from the rest of the piece for how detached it is. The clear and beautiful melody represents the writing of the laws of Conservatism or the fabric of the universe itself. It is God foretelling His plans, contemplating creation, and setting forth an immutable prophecy of divine Order. God and Order are synonymous; our minds cannot separate them. While the quiet prophecy does not yet sound triumphantly magnificent in its context, it will return later for an irresistible crescendo. This moment echoes the times in civilization when cultural and philosophical foundations are intact. An example would be the end of the 19th century when the principles of tradition, faith, and civilization were unchallenged, though there remain inklings of a future struggle.
1:30 – 3:05 | The Creation
Romantic and harmonious, this section symbolizes the creation of mankind. The woodwinds carry a delicate beauty, and at 2:00, the violins swell with a warmth that seems to embody God's love for humanity. There is tenderness between God and his creation, unmarred by anything. The love here is so palpable that it seems almost tacky. Immediately afterward, discord emerges—subtle at first but undeniably present. The woodwinds tremble with unease as if nature itself senses an approaching conflict. Entropy, the antagonist, has not yet appeared, but the final moments of this passage seem to declare its imminent arrival.
3:06 – 3:50 | The Enemy Appears
Here, the repeated themes of discord erupt into the Overture. The enemy roars onto the stage with brass flourishes, disrupting the harmony of creation. Throughout this piece, the brass section seems to play the part of the divine messenger, either for good or bad, but much more often for Good. It is no coincidence that the first words of the antagonist were delivered as though they were from God. The orchestra mourns this fall from grace, lamenting mankind's descent into chaos. Yet, after the initial clash, a deceptive quietness with cellos follows—the world seems to fall into complacency. This silence reflects the first ideological fractures of modernity, where traditional structures remained, but subtle disruptions were taking root.
3:51 – 4:47 | The Promise of Redemption
Beneath the rising discord, the brass instruments persist, though faintly, introducing a second melody that echoes the divine Order from the opening but now carries martial undertones. Here is God's promise: He has declared that he will restore His creation, and we hear how he will do it in the notes. Nevertheless, the promise is subtle, nearly drowned out by chaos. It will remain a thread of truth beneath the disorder for the rest of this story.
4:48 – 6:58 | Entropy's First Challenge
Here, disorder asserts itself with full force. At 5:22, chaos spirals upward, and in a moment of despair, the orchestra recalls our divine promise. It cries out for stability and the brass promise returns. By 6:40, a deep, rhythmic marching of cellos emerges. There is a sense of structure and duty, the world marching in obedience to the promise. The low, steady, whirring notes are deep in the fabric of society, moving in response to the divine call. Yet, the world remains in turmoil, and the struggle for Order is far from over.
7:00 – 9:05 | The First Renaissance
Suddenly, the overture shifts. Romantic woodwinds and strings return, celebrating the beauty, bounty, and stability we know comes from faithfulness. Yet, as this section unfolds, the promise is slowly forgotten and replaced by something distinctly cultural, as though mankind has deceived himself, thinking that man rather than God is the bounty provider. A single instrument plays what sounds like a Russian folk song, soon joined by a tambourine and oboe. This moment represents a cultural golden age sparked by the memory of divine Order but lacking the depth that comes from faithful obedience. Rather than honoring God, civilization begins to venerate culture itself—turning to tradition without acknowledging the divine source from which it came.
9:06 – 12:08 | The Second Challenge of Entropy
The cultural theme disappears, easily overcome by chaos as it erupts again, now more violent than before. The antagonist desires vengeance for his past embarrassment. Mankind forgets his self-veneration and calls weakly for the promise's return, but to no avail. The disorder increases and, at 10:15, reaches its most unbridled state. A storm rages against the entire world. By 10:30, the divine promise is evoked for a second time—louder, more desperate, more faithfully. The cellos return, restoring Order. At 11:00, a brief return to romance and prosperity occurs. Yet, by 11:40, society has again settled for nostalgia rather than divine truth, and the orchestra falls quiet. The final moments carry an eerie stillness; electricity fills the air—something monumental is about to happen. God will not allow mankind to keep going in this way.
12:10 – 13:40 | The Final Decline
The air clears, and the trumpets sound the divine promise more fully than ever before. Though the bounty is gone and the world is falling apart, this is the most faithful call yet: the final call to battle. Cannons sound, and for a moment, the orchestra is triumphant. The world has remembered the name of God; it has called on the author of divine Order. Perhaps they were not in time; they spiral into the deepest, most profound silence yet. Only the brass and cellos remain, their sharp, clear notes sounding desperate against the void.
This moment conveys what mankind would feel at first sight of the millennial reign. There are no more atheists or agnostics, chaos, or questions. Indifference is now impossible. Everyone realizes this will be the last chapter of history, and there is no more room for speculation. What follows will be the most divine and irresistible show of force and power imaginable.
Free will evaporates, and the fabric of reality tears apart like the curtain in the temple. This grand conclusion was predestined before time began; it will reduce existence to linearity. Order cannot be stopped, and God is fulfilling a tremendous promise that nearly escapes comprehension.
13:40 – End | His Arrival; Order Triumphs over Entropy
Three grand flourishes of brass split the air—irresistible, undeniable, unstoppable. Following close behind each flourish, flurries of strings cascade like heavenly hosts pouring forth in their divine might. The brass is so powerful that it commands absolute stillness—none can bear to deny its authority. The first three flourishes declare, "Here I am." With each flourish also comes a repetition of some phrase by the brass; they seem unable to stop themselves from repeating the glory and majesty of their proclamation. But now the fourth brass flourish shifts in tone—it is hotly accusatory. While still carrying all the power and authority, it also seems to say, "I see you." With this final proclamation, Order points His finger at Entropy, proclaiming complete, immediate, divine destruction.
The orchestra erupts once more into the sound of war at this decree. Yet there is no more discord or uncertainty. These are not the sounds of battle but righteous destruction, revolution, and the coronation ceremony of Order. Entropy is slain. The cannons celebrate his death, and the piece ends with the unshakable repetition of victory—Order reigns supreme forever.
Tchaikovsky did not explicitly intend to convey the cosmological struggle between good and evil in his work; in fact, he wrote The Overture on a state contract to celebrate martial prowess, essentially propaganda. Nor did he consider the Overture to be one of his best works. Yet, somehow, the evocation of cosmological themes is pervasive in his work. The story of Alexander and Napoleon contains the same essence that lies behind much of Western history.
Though The Overture was not written as an allegory, great art often transcends the artist’s original vision, especially if he is philosophically honest. The themes of order vs. chaos, divine promise vs. ideological struggle, and triumphant restoration are as present in the music as they are in our reality.
Tchaikovsky's music delivers an emotional experience of fundamental universal truths, the very same truths that also underlie conservatism: tradition, struggle, complacency, and final victory. Perhaps this is what drives such an emotional reaction, as these truths are actively suppressed in our culture; hearing such a bold proclamation of truth is a novelty.
Conservatism is more complicated than these universal truths, but they inform the rest of conservative theory. It must begin with the story of mankind, which informs human nature, the process of decision-making, and the right order of things. Before someone can reliably make conservative policies, they must at least have an appreciation for what they seek to conserve.
Magnificent!