They achieved exactly what they wanted to, to think otherwise is naive.

The idea was to get rid of the middle class. Everything they did pointed to that end. Kings and queens of old adn dictators in general only prefer two classes. Them as the elites and the subdued masses.

They were able to do it and get away with it so easily because of decades of school and university indoctrinations about socialism, communism and fascism. It was done slowly and when the time was right they let lose the dragon.