Little old ladies used to recite the Rosary during Mass, because they hadn't a clue what was being said at the altar (and also much of what was being said was inaudible because it was supposed to be whispered).
Also, people went to Mass then to keep out of Hell. As long as they fulfilled their obligation, that was all that mattered.
And they had no choice other than the Tridentine Mass so they just put up with it. The only choice they had was to avoid priests who would frequently put on a High Mass which went on for almost 2 hours.
There was a delayed reaction after WW2 which showed what can happen when people follow authoritarian and totalitarian rulers. If John XXIII hadn't reacted in time with Vatican II, the tidal wave of change in the World would have destroyed the Church. So it's fair to say that Vat 2 was divinely inspired, in accordance with Matthew 16:18.