Why did Oskar Kokoschka become disillusioned with revolution after World War I?

Oskar Kokoschka became disillusioned with revolution following World War I because he, like many other intellectuals, had initially identified the concept of revolution with humanitarianism. However, the takeover of the Russian Revolution by the Bolshevik regime caused him to view revolution as a purely destructive force that lacked genuine human concern.

In response to this shift, Kokoschka wrote the "Dresden Manifesto" in 1920, in which he denounced all political militancy. This disillusionment led him to abandon political and humanitarian themes in his art and writing for several years.1