When and why did monks stop meditating?

My understanding is that meditation went through a revival in the last two centuries, in part due to the efforts of the Theosophical Society. Supposedly in the past, monks had nearly or totally stopped meditating. Can anyone fill out the picture? - Main question in the title, when and why did monks stop meditating? - Were other elements involved in the revival? - Is this perspective more descriptive of Theravadan countries? - How did reality differ from this picture?