The article observes the key aspects of modern interpretations of the idea and theory of progress and their influence on the development of political theories and ideological discourses. The idea of progress has been frequently put into question in recent decades. This idea, formed in the modern era, has become an important part of historical process as a whole and of its dominant trends. Progress implies a value judgment. By the end of the twentieth century, the differences in the evaluations of the progress reached their peak due to the emerging sense of the opposing alternatives contained in historical development. The ambiguity of our time finds its expression in social and political theory, in the complicated discussion between philosophers and scholars, generated by both optimistic and pessimistic views on progress. Jürgen Habermas' diagnosis of legitimation crisis and his prognosis for a reconstructed rationality of communicative action is perhaps the most sophisticated synthesis of crisis theory and deliberative democracy. However, another cultural feature of progress is also important: the ability of people to improve endows it with a quality of “temporal compensatory concept” (R. Koselleck). Thus, the idea of progress becomes a protective conservative factor of modern civilization that is frequently reflected in both modern political theory (M. Freeden) and in philosophy of science (K. Popper).