Depends who you mean by the elite.

The aristocracy, certainly.

The upper middle class (i.e. professional class - I know other countries define these things differently) that provided the administrators were just good at their jobs and worked hard. Leonard Woolf's autobiography is a great insider view. Histories of the period too.

▲

tsunamifury 6 hours ago | parent [-]

The upper middle class were decidedly not elite at that time and very much "working class plus"

▲

graemep 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Still are, arguably. Dependent on earnings rather than wealth.

They did have a lot of privileges, especially when employed in the colonies.

▲

tsunamifury 5 hours ago | parent [-]

I think we are entering a wierd era where a huge population (baby boomers) are returing with incredible passive wealth compared to any other working class era in history.

This is... a mass elite or more of one that may have ever existed before including the small merchant class of the late 1800s

▲

graemep 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Baby boomers are aged between 66 and 80, so most of them have already retired. We are not entering the era, we are in it.

▲

NoMoreNicksLeft 26 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

On other social media platforms, the boomers are aged 28 to 107. And I'm not exaggerating, you can check for yourself. The muddying of definitions is the root of all evil.

▲

SoftTalker 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

And though some are quite wealthy, the average Boomer net worth of about $1.6MM is concentrated in the wealthy top few, like any other demographic. The median Boomer has a net worth of $300-$400K, the largest fraction of which is probably their house (so not income-producing), and that isn't really a lot to live off of in 2026.

	▲	59percentmore 13 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		>so not income-producing Depends on what you consider a reverse mortgage/equity loan they plan to die before paying.
	▲	Danox 42 minutes ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Very true. And the way things are going, just in the English-speaking countries, United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, those between 18 and 40 are having more trouble buying that house or condo. Those luxury apartments are going up everywhere, at least in the United States. $2200 a month with amenities for a one bedroom studio.
	▲	thaumasiotes 18 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		> The median Boomer has a net worth of $300-$400K, the largest fraction of which is probably their house (so not income-producing) What? Do you not live in your house?