Originally, as I understand it, teams played with only 2 specialist defenders in the old days and eventually moved to the 4 4 2.
Untill the 1950's, most teams were playing in the WM formation, which consisted of a first line of 2 defenders, then 3 defensive midfield, then 3 offensive midfield, then 2 strikers. The real "revolution" came from Hungary in the early 50's with their 4-2-4 formation, which was the first one to adopt an in-line defence of 4, and made it possible to develop a better passing game. Brazil adopted the same 4-2-4 formation and adapted it into a 4-3-3. This was their golden age, from 1958 to 1970, when Brazil won 3 world cups out of 4. In my opinion, there was a football before that Brazilian era and a different football, much more competitive, after it. Team organization isn't the only thing which has changed during that time. Player substitutions were allowed after the 1958 world cup, yellow and red cards appeared at the 1970 world cup. Meanwhile, the development of videos made it easier for coaches to compare different tactics and thus to organize their team more efficiently. Afterwards, evolution continued but never as disruptive as then. The 1970's and 1980's were the golden age of technicians (Cruyff, Zico, Platini, Maradona), then the game has grown more athletic in the 1990's and the 2000's. But when I look at the 2 last world cup winners, Spain and Germany, I have the feeling that we're getting in an age where the best teams are those able to combine both athleticism and technics. Germany indeed develops a wonderful passing game, but with players that are also tall and powerful. Though this wouldn't explain exactly the trend leading to more goals.