I don't know exactly what the difference is between a middle-class person's chance of being rich in the past and a middle-class person living today. We have more possibilities, but the world is not the same as before. Everything is in our hands and depends on our effort, but still, I am not sure whether we are the luckier ones in the past.
I don't know the situation in your country, but the middle class is gradually disappearing in our society. The gap between the rich and the poor is expanding because of corruption and unfavorable government policies. The economy is organized in a way that favors the rich. Before we had the American dream where nobody could become successful but today you have to be connected to a powerful politician or business executive to climb the ladder to the top. Inflation and currency devaluation are making hard work and diligence worthless because what you earn is not enough to provide for your needs.
The scriptures mentioned that the richest man in ancient history was Qaroon, also known as Croesus, who had separate rooms filled with gold and silver to the point that the keys to these rooms needed an army of men to hold.
https://www.rekhta.org/allusions/qaroon-croesusIt is very interesting to see that many religions have different accounts of the richest men in the olden days. Based on the Holy Bible the richest man was Solomon who was the son of David. His wealth was so much that he married about three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines. You just don't know which account to believe.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20biblical%20account,Sidon%20and%20of%20the%20Hittites.