Emigration Eases Elite Overproduction

Britain’s long period of relative internal peace may have been aided by mass outmigration, which absorbed surplus ambitious elites who couldn’t find roles at home. By turning would‑be internal agitators into settlers abroad, emigration functioned as a psychological and political safety valve. — It reframes immigration/emigration policy as a tool for managing intra‑elite conflict, implying that fewer outlets for surplus strivers today could raise instability.