This feels a little too close to Great Man Theory and not particularly materialist, but I could be wrong.
Edit: your additional comments on the death of the family make a lot of sense, but I don’t know if I’d agree that it’s the cause of worsening conditions but rather a side effect.
As an addendum to 1: after WWII the US was the only manufacturing power, and some of the money brought in by goods exports was spent on making life better for the chosen subset of the working class (white labour aristocracy) due to the relative power of organized labour and the concessions required of the capitalist class due to the mere existence of a powerful workers state demonstrating an alternative.
Vijay Prashad
Depending on the area, they may not be allowed to have anything but grass on their yard.
Most people sadly also have no idea how to grow their own food anymore.