Joseph,
Apparently you only see what you want to see in your fantasy world. If you want to believe that every Jew in prior generations were learned tzadikkim, there is nothing I can do. But, other than your protestations, you haven’t showed where I am wrong. When Napolean granted equality to Jews, the yeshivas emptied out. If they weren’t “frum out of habit ” why did so many European Jews leave frumkeit as soon as they had the chance?
And, the time period I am referring to in your quotes was in Europe. Can you show me yopur proof that only “some poor uneducated Jews joined a movement ” . If was only a few, why was the Vilna Gaon so concerned?