I have heard the Highland Clearances, these days, would be considered ethnic cleansing and that they destroyed earlier Highland culture. What would be the effects of this?
Ummm... Remember, folks, that this was not done TO the Highlanders by the evil Sassanach or any other outside forces. No, it was Clan Lairds dispossessing their own clan members for the sake of the almighty dollar (well, pound, same difference). How do you get Lairds to foreswear all that lovely, lovely moolah and behave?
The problem is largely that it really only takes one asshole Laird to try it, and then the temptation for the others is very, very high.
Youd likely have to get somevery prominent preacher, probably Calvinist, to stand up and loudly condemn the practice in a series of fiery sermons. Then have the Catholic church basically say, hey, if the money grubbing Calvinists are behaving themselves, you Catholic Lairds have to show yourselves as good as them.
Of course, getting a Scots Calvinist to successfully preach against wealth, or getting the Catholic establishment to back peasants against the nobility in that time. Let alone both. Let alone having either church agree that the other set a good example. Well, its not very probable, shall we say. Not quite ASB, but heading there fast. Imo.
I think that would need a fairly early PoD. One possibility might be if the British government decided that Scottish soldiers were the answer to a generals prayer (as well as a maiden's prayer), and decided to fill the ranks of the British army by commissioning the Highland clan chiefs to raise regiments; and paying them well for the task. That would make raising men more profitable than raising sheep.
Instead of Scotish histories blaming the English for the clearancies, you'll have Scotish histories blaming the English for preventing rural development.
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