Many of the things we take for granted were not created - or readily available - 100 years ago.
Electricity - indoor plumbing - automobiles - vaccinations -
Is the past "better"? Is the present "better"? Will the future be "better?"
Now, as then, a lot depends on one's financial means and social status -
"Class" as in "being a class act" is not guaranteed - or prevented - by having or not having money or social status.