What if France adopted the opposite of Jeune École and concentrated on capital ships with few escorts?
Short answerIt would produce an unbalanced fleet vulnerable to enemy torpedo forces, while destroyers would likely evolve more slowly from torpedo boats.
NotesOther navies also assumed smaller escorts could be built quickly after concentrating on battleships. Britain could answer such a fleet with its own capital ships plus torpedo craft, leaving France vulnerable below the battle line. Without Jeune École as the immediate stimulus, the destroyer might emerge more gradually from the torpedo boat, closer to the German developmental path.