Looking at the title I thought you were going to write about Nixon, but this is quite a bit more interesting.
Those events happened centuries later, of course, but I was just reading about 1066 and idly pondering what would have happened if Harald and William hadn't, um, happened.
British history is largely about the conflicts between various 'nobility' and it's similar in most other countries. Democracy is not perfect either, but at least there's some chance for the people to have some say. I think it's dangerous for any individual to have too much power without control.
One sometimes wonders if things have really changed, or if it's just the means that are different.
Anyway: all these clashes, conflicts. slaying of kings, and getting to one country from a handful of kingdoms of Celts, Romans, Saxons, Danes, etc. makes for an interesting read, and it is also far less annoying than reading about modern-day politics and lobbying.
There are still family dynasties and behind the scenes intrigue. It's perhaps not so different.