The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, and it had a huge impact on Europe. It set the stage for some strict governments to rise. Here are the main points to understand:

1. Big Punishments for Germany:

   • Germany had to take all the blame for the war because of something called Article 231, known as the War Guilt Clause.
   • They were also told to pay a huge amount of money—$132 billion gold marks, which is about$33 billion! This made their economy very weak.

2. Loss of Land:

   • Germany lost around 13% of its land. This included Alsace-Lorraine, which went back to France, and parts of Prussia that went to Poland.
   • They also lost the Saar Basin, an area rich in coal, which hurt their economy even more.

3. Limits on the Military:

   • The German army could have only 100,000 soldiers. This meant they couldn’t draft new soldiers and had a much weaker military.
   • The Treaty also said they couldn’t have tanks, airplanes, or submarines. This left Germany feeling humiliated and angry.

4. Money Problems:

   • In the early 1920s, Germany experienced hyperinflation. This means prices went up a lot. For example, the German mark fell from 4.2 marks for one dollar in 1914 to 4.2 trillion marks for one dollar by late 1923!
   • These money troubles made it easier for extreme political parties to gain support.

5. Political Effects:

   • The Weimar Republic, which was set up in 1919, seemed weak and didn’t solve many problems.
   • This made people unhappy and helped leaders like Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rise to power. Other strict governments also popped up in Europe, like Mussolini's in Italy and Stalin's in the Soviet Union.

In summary, the Treaty of Versailles played a big role in creating the bad conditions that led to harsh governments coming to power in Europe during the years between the two World Wars.