Social Factors

 Minimalism

Social factors were the primary catalysts for Modernism and the New Objectivity. Beginning in 1919, following the First World War, architects and the German government introduced Minimalism to address the inadequate living conditions experienced by the working class.

This movement represented a leftist, socialist, and communist initiative aimed at meeting the basic needs of the working population by providing light, air, sanitation, and electricity. It embodied the German government's commitment to social responsibility, a commitment that architects and artists eagerly sought to fulfill.

Later, the movement was reframed as functionalism in response to criticism that Minimalism remained too extravagant for the average person. Buildings became more austere, focusing exclusively on purpose and function. However, the utopian aspirations of the New Objectivity movement began to unravel in Germany under the Nazi regime and in Russia under Soviet rule. The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 further undermined the movement. The subsequent loss of Soviet support led to an unexpected shift in Modernism’s development.

You get the picture.

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