What is really interesting is that much of the deterioration of purchasing power from central banking was blunted by technological advancements, peace dividends, etc. That means that even with how terribly it has gone for the average/median citizen, if those advances didn't happen, it would have been much worse. That's a double-edged sword though because that also means the expansionary debt/monetary status quo was allowed to cause much more damage since those advancements prevented a greater catastrophic collapse.