- Germany lost territory: 13% of its pre-war territory was given to Belgium, France, Denmark, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. This included Alsace-Lorraine, which had been annexed by Germany after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871.
- Germany was forced to pay reparations: The war reparations totaled 132 billion gold marks (equivalent to $33 billion at 1913 exchange rates). This created a heavy financial burden on the German economy and contributed to the country's economic difficulties in the 1920s and 1930s.
- The treaty also mandated Germany to accept responsibility for starting World War I: This was a highly controversial clause, as many Germans felt that they had been unfairly blamed for the war. The "war guilt clause" became a source of national resentment in Germany and contributed to the rise of Nazism.
- The Treaty of Versailles also included a number of provisions aimed at limiting Germany's military: The German military was reduced to a maximum size of 100,000 men, and Germany was forbidden from having an air force, tanks, or submarines. These provisions were designed to prevent Germany from being able to wage war in the future.
- The Treaty of Versailles was deeply unpopular in Germany: Many Germans felt that it was too harsh and that it treated Germany unfairly. The treaty was seen as a symbol of national humiliation and contributed to the rise of nationalist sentiments in Germany.