Why did Expressionism become a dominant style in Germany after World War I?

Expressionism became a dominant style in Germany following World War I because it effectively mirrored the prevailing postwar atmosphere of cynicism, alienation, and profound disillusionment.1

As the nation grappled with the aftermath of the conflict, many Germans felt a need for new meanings and values to replace those destroyed by the war. Expressionism, which prioritized the depiction of subjective emotions and internal responses over objective reality, provided a powerful outlet for these sentiments. The style’s characteristic use of distortion, jarring colors, and jagged lines allowed artists to express the anxiety, frustration, and instability they perceived in modern life.231

In the theatre, the movement gained further momentum as a form of protest against the existing social order, evolving into an "activist" phase that engaged directly with the political and social upheaval of the era. By focusing on the individual's struggle within a hostile civilization, Expressionism resonated with a society seeking to process the trauma and contradictions of the postwar period.41