An early Baltic victory rewrites the post-World War I order

What if Jellicoe's Baltic operation forced Germany to surrender in early 1917?

Russia rather than America shapes the peace, naval prestige soars, and institutions such as the Washington treaty system and independent RAF may never emerge in their historical form.

The timing falls before American entry and before the collapse of imperial Russia. France and Russia would press harsher territorial demands on Germany, while Britain would concentrate on destroying or constraining German naval power. A victory visibly delivered by the fleet would transform the domestic balance between the Royal Navy and the army. The altered politics could prevent both the historical Washington Naval Treaty and the 1918 creation of an independent Royal Air Force.