well Technology makes many views of the world obsolete
like print made the "educated cleric" die out, diggers made slaves obsolete
in dexterity intensive work you still find slaves today: housemaids, sweatshops and mining in poor(er) countries around this planet.

its rather hard to compare anytime in history with now, due to the rate of invention ever increasing and the complexity of the worlds free trade and increase in speed & efficiency of travel. (interesting fact: on the middle ages people lived and died within 30km of their birthplace)