Probably, if you were not so compliant and reacting as he wishes, he would have to find other tactics. I think you are right in saying that he hasn't gotten better, you've gotten better at giving him what he wants. It may help to understand more about abusers. I highly recommend The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans. She describes over a dozen types of 'verbal' abuse which includes emotional abuse.
Most people are surprised to read about abusive behaviors they never thought of as abusive.
But, when you look at the big picture, everything fits in. She tells you the effect of each type of abuse, and gives ideas on how to conteract them. However, it is dangerous to try to 'retrain' an abuser. Usually it just pushes them to more abusive behavior in order to regain the control they MUST have in the relationship. In a few cases, an abuser might wake up to how his behavior is affecting his family and try to change.