After the scouting, commerce-raiding, and destroyer-killing explanations fall short, national prestige offers another possibility for the 34-knot requirement. Postwar France could not possess the world's largest navy under the treaty settlement, but it could seek exceptionally fast ships. This is a hypothesis rather than a documented design requirement. It separates measurable technical trade-offs from the political and cultural motives that may influence procurement.
Notable Point · 35:16-35:51
Was 34 knots also a matter of national prestige?
National prestige may help explain why France accepted severe design costs to field exceptionally fast cruisers.