Speculation, parasitism, non-traditional orientation: for which they were imprisoned in the USSR
'14.11.2020'
Source: Culturology
The citizens of the Soviet Union had to be united by a single goal - the building of communism, reminds "Culturology".
This was talked about on radio and television, newspapers were full of optimistic headlines, and political five-minutes were held in schools and work collectives. Today it all seems strange, as well as the fact that for some, at first glance, harmless actions one could go to jail. The Soviet criminal code was ruthless and punished severely violators. Any citizen risked becoming a prisoner.
Speculation caused by eternal scarcity
There was a deficit in the USSR. There was a shortage of beautiful imported clothes, interesting books, high-quality dishes, vinyl records, household appliances and food. People had to buy goods from their hands or make useful contacts in retail chains. Of course, they paid more than in a regular store. Speculation flourished. Most often, these were people who had the opportunity to buy a scarce product and sell it with some "fat". Today it is considered a common market scheme, but in Soviet times it was called speculation and was severely punished. For such an act, a grasping merchant could receive up to seven years in prison with confiscation of property, which was specified in Article 154 of the RSFSR Criminal Code. Nevertheless, Soviet citizens were still looking for speculators and voluntarily bought everything they needed from them.
"Sodomy" that could be attributed to anyone
In the early thirties of the last century, People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR Genrikh Yagoda made a report to Stalin, where he equated homosexuality with counter-revolution. He argued that the existing illegal clubs for "sodomites" (this term was then used) are a real cesspool, centers where Soviet youth are led astray and inspire anti-Soviet ideas. Representatives of sexual minorities were accused of all these sins, who were given the “title” of one of the most dangerous enemies of the Soviet system. Soon an article “for sodomy” appeared in the USSR Criminal Code. The worst thing was that it could be applied to any person who did not like power, since the topic is subtle, it is impossible to prove it, as well as to refute it. Those who committed this strange “crime” could be imprisoned for up to five years, as stated in Article 121 of the RSFSR Criminal Code.
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Parasitism, from which Tsoi fled to the boiler room
Today, when the country has a high unemployment rate and it is very difficult to get a good job, it seems strange that there was an article about parasitism in the Soviet Union. Quite often this category included active and talented people who wanted to work for themselves and not for the state. They were threatened with up to four years in prison under Article 209 of the RSFSR Criminal Code.
It is clear that they did not go to jail right away: the first time the parasite was fined, then he could get to correctional labor, but if he became “a malicious deviator from socially useful labor,” then prison loomed him. Among the so-called parasites, whom the whole country knows today, one can name Joseph Brodsky and Viktor Tsoi. The rock musician began working as a stoker in a boiler room not because he loved to throw coal into the furnace, but in order to do the business that he considered the main thing in his life. Now the songs of the "Kino" group are known to everyone, and no one is surprised that their author was officially listed as a stoker.
Moonshine: homemade alcohol for yourself and for sale
In Russia, a special attitude towards alcoholic beverages. They have been used for centuries and will most likely always be used. Although a culture of drinking is developing in the modern world, drunkenness is still a real scourge of society. In the Soviet Union, it was not so easy to buy strong drinks at different periods. There was no such diversity as it is today, sometimes there was a queue for alcohol, and when the struggle for sobriety began under the leadership of Gorbachev, alcohol became a real shortage. People began to brew moonshine everywhere. And they drove him from a variety of products.
Some did it for themselves, while others sold homemade alcohol, which was often of poor quality. If representatives of state bodies found a moonshine still in the apartment, then they could get six months of construction work or a large fine. If home-made alcohol was illegally traded, then the entrepreneur was threatened with imprisonment for up to three years under Article 158 of the RSFSR Criminal Code.
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"We have no beggars"
According to the Soviet media, there were no beggars in the USSR. Some naively believed that a beggar who begs on the street simply does not want to get a job. The funny thing is that today very often it is - for many beggars this is a real job, which, by the way, brings a good income. In Soviet times, when, according to Soviet ideology, the working people lived well, ate deliciously and had good housing, this might not be the case at all. Especially after the Great Patriotic War, when the country was destroyed, millions of people lost their homes, loved ones or were left disabled without a livelihood.
Beggars who asked for mercy could receive a prison sentence of up to two years in prison (if, after several warnings, they continued to do so). There were cases when beggars were sent to correctional labor for six months (maximum a year). To them, as to the parasites, Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR was applied.
