The author considers some approaches to the study into the concept of “ideology” in western and domestic schools of thought, and its role in social development from the emergence till modern day. The specificity of Russian literature is revealed, as well as its values, and the place of ideology in those. The role of ideological projects is analysed, including the USA, and the way they are implemented in today’s world. The author concludes that there are no “pure” ideologies in the modern world, as it was at the time that they appeared; they interpenetrate and complement one another, causing hybridization, and this trend is bound to persist. Far from decreasing, the role of ideologies is becoming increasingly enhanced, including in international relations. Cultural diversity leads, and will lead in the future, to the diversity of ideologies appropriate to the cultural code of the people bearing this culture.