The bankers are the core of it all throughout the last 150 years. It really boils down to them. They run the corporations and the governments since they control the money supply. Things are starting to change on that end.
The one advantage the bankers had is that they never operated under the nation-state model. That model was for the masses, they operated internationally from the start. They made money and operated wherever they wanted without regard to borders. Now we are seeing the internet, blockchain, and crypto giving the same advantage to the average person. That is the how we will see things change. For years, they controlled the message because they owned the media. While that is still true, more people now realize that Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw were the kings of fake news. Information is now available as long as one has an internet connection.
And yes innovations have been shelved for decades.