Hello Svetlana,
You certainly have a good point here. I consider making a crucial distinction necessary here:
1) objective success
and
2) personal success.
Objective success is aligned to the good old SMART approach (setting goals: specification, measurability, action based, realisation and timing). This certainly also echoes gloomy episodes in and of history: by that definition the seizure of power by extremists, the waging of war and others still have to be considered 'successful', if we strictly abide by that definition.
Whether that goal is tied with our well-being or brings personal satisfaction with it, is an entirely different matter altogether, namely our PERSONAL SUCCESS.
Even them most extreme forms of government (Nazi-Germany, Fascist Italy, The Soviet Union, etc) would have been doomed from the outset, if the people, i.e. the leaders and the populace hadn't been determined to achieve (and implement) their goals.
Whether it brought happiness, a common good or served a higher purpose is a different cattle of fish.
Fact is, that they had plenty of ideas to discuss (however insane they might seem to anyone in retrospect).
Looking forward to your response