True, but there are still lessons to learn from history. I think the key is knowing what is similar and when it applies, and when not. A literal application of today's politics is a bit of a stretch; however, keep in mind that there is 'nothing knew under the sun'. These philosophies take on knew shapes and forms, but most are not as original as they claim. Ludism for instance is constantly re-surfacing in all sorts of different movements; it was itself a re-surfacing of a previous ideas.

History's lessons stem from knowing the danger of failed ideas (like Communism) and abused extremes (like Dictatorship or Elitist Oligarchy).