An alternative French naval strategy from the 1880s

What naval strategy should France have followed from the 1880s if it rejected Jeune École priorities?

Build consistently for a strong second-rank fleet: modern capital ships, useful cruisers, and an early but sustainable transition into dreadnoughts and battlecruisers.

The proposed strategy aims to keep France securely in second place rather than to match the Royal Navy ship for ship. It stops spending on coast-defence ships, maintains modern yards, and builds two to four capital ships in stronger years so hulls do not languish on the stocks. France then lays down all-big-gun ships alongside Dreadnought, moves quickly through larger calibres, and uses battlecruisers for imperial trade protection while retaining enough protection for Mediterranean service. That pace accelerates British, American, Japanese, German, Italian, and Austro-Hungarian design responses even if Germany cannot afford to match both Britain and France. The scenario is therefore as much about industrial continuity and arms-race incentives as about choosing an ideal individual ship.