The impact of the reaty of Versailles

With the treaty of versailles :

•  10% of land was lost
•  12.5% of its population was lost
•  16% of its coal was lost
•  48% of its iron idustry was lost 
•  all its colonies were lost

It also weakened the military, had to accept guilt for starting the war and pay reparations

This destroyed Germany as a great power. 

• Upper silesia, which contained coal and steel works
• much of west Prussia and Posen 
• Schleswig, which was given a plebiscite on whether to return to denmark 
• Alsace-Lorraine, which was returned to France
• Eupen and Malmedy, which were returned to belgium
• The Saar, which was placed under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years
• The Rhineland, which was to be occupied by Allied forces for 15 years 

• army reduced to 100,000 men
• navy reduced to 15,000 men
• The General Staff was disbanded 
• No longer allowed tanks, aircraft, submarines or poison gas 
• number of ships was limited 

The establishment of the Reparations Commission to investigate the extent of the damage and how much Germany could afford 

The commission did not report until 1921

The figure was finally fixed at £6,600 million, but some to be paid in goods 

In order to justify punishing Germany, the 'War Guilt' clause (clause 231) declared Germany was guilty of starting the war.