Building German capital ships specifically to fight France made little sense because French security and imperial defense were tied closely to Britain. France was Britain's continental partner and provided the route through which British troops could enter a European war. France, meanwhile, relied on British naval strength to help protect its empire after treaty arrangements left the French fleet at parity with Italy. Repeated governmental instability and unresolved domestic problems weakened France's freedom to pursue an independent global policy, even though its army still gave it influence in European affairs. A German naval plan directed against France therefore had to account for British intervention from the beginning.
Notable Point · 4:45-8:02
Why a German fleet aimed at France still faced Britain
Interwar Britain relied on France for continental military access while France relied on British sea power for imperial defense, making a separate naval war against France strategically implausible.