The Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919. It was a dictated peace - Germany didn't have any say in it.

The main terms were (B.R.A.T.):

Blame: Germany was blamed for starting the war (War Guilt Clause - Article 231).
Reparations: Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in compensation.
Armed Forces: Germany's armed forces were reduced (only 100 000 soldiers, 6 battleships and no air force). The Rhineland was demilitarised and Germany was not allowed to unite with Austria.
Territory: Germany lost land (about 13%, plus all her colonies).

Also, the League of Nations was established to try to prevent future wars, but Germany was not allowed to join.

Most Germans hated the treaty because:

they expected a fair treaty now the Kaiser had gone.
it left Germany defenceless and humiliated Germany.
their economy was already ruined from WWI so they couldn't afford the reparations.
the Stab in the Back Myth - many believed that Germany was winning the war so this made it even harder to accept the treaty.

The Treaty of Versailles made the new democratic Weimar Government in Germany hugely unpopular even though there was nothing they could do about it and it especially angered right wing nationalists. The Treaty directly led to many problems over the next few years and helped Hitler and the Nazis who promised to rip it up.

Year 9 Challenges and Change

The Treaty of Versailles