Here, many readers of my journal writing in the comments that the USSR was a country of only honest and decent people who never took another, and doors in the apartment, even not locked the locks. On account of the doors will not argue — sometimes it was practiced in small towns and just in closed neighborhoods (like the Minsk settlement of the Tractor factory), where people know each other and knew where almost gone “strangers”. But as for theft on the household level in the USSR, it exists everywhere, but among the petty thieves actually “theft” was not considered.
Of course, to steal money or say there jewelry was real theft, besides falling under the relevant article of the criminal code, but for example to cover up in the store or to change the composition of food in catering, to bring the factory a couple of bearings, to pour twenty litres Solarium in the carpool is met very often and were not considered something shameful.
Why is this happening? First, the universal poverty, which is spread over all strata of society. Secondly, due to the General shortage of essential goods and services. Pads for sanitary ware has always had “his” mechanic (which he stole somewhere in the warehouse), we need spare parts for the car (which was not in the automobile) miraculously were in “their” mechanic. We can say that such “petty corruption” is almost inevitable in poor countries, while in society it is not considered something to be ashamed of, people just survive as best they can.
And the third component such theft is the absence of private ownership as such, in the broadest sense of the word. The phrase “all around collective, all around no one’s” very well describes the situation of those years — to take “draws” wood or “nobody” scrap was considered almost the norm and it seems like not even theft.
Under the cut is a big and interesting story about how exactly and what exactly was stolen in the USSR. Make sure you check out the article below, write in the comments your opinion, well to friends to add do not forget) And telegram channel also subscribe.
01. Theft in the Soviet catering.
Perhaps, to steal in catering was the easiest from the point of view that the thief was not easy “to catch”. For example, sour cream diluted yogurt, taking away the remnants of myself, yogurt diluted with milk. The milk itself is also stolen, and very ingenious — that the milk is not spoiled, it added to the baking soda, taking the part of milk as “spoiled” and taking her home. Soups are cooked without meat (in the shortening), but the results at the plate were placed a piece of meat. By the way, similar things are still doing in the dining room of the Minsk Central Department store who longs for “the” Soviet tastes and “Standards” — you are welcome.
The individual way to steal tea. As you know, in the Soviet canteens “tea” prepared in a large aluminum pans that had put a certain number of welding (often cheap tea “Georgian”). A large part of the welding slept “for himself,” and a pot of tea was added burnt sugar, leaving for the night on a small fire. The result was a dark brown liquid with almost no smell of tea.
02. Theft in Soviet grocery stores.
In principle, everything was like a theft in the dining halls, but there were nuances. For example, the Soviet guests described the norms for shrinkage and shrinkage of the goods, the traffickers used them to the maximum, even if the goods are not “Wasilla” — the rest just stole. Very often more or less high-quality foods (meat, sausage) sold “under the counter” for “their”, but a little more expensive than the selling retail price and the difference obtained was placed in a pocket.
Stealing also and markets, obveshivaya buyers (which used an ingenious system of magnets and hidden weights). The phenomenon was so massive that the markets were ubiquitous so-called “control scales”.
03. Cheating in the stores of manufactured goods.
Everything happened in a similar way — quality and scarce goods, which suddenly went on sale, sold just as “under the counter” for some greater cost. From a legal point of view, everything was perfectly clean — that product, that buyer, here’s a check, that’s money in the till. “See” by checking what the clerk put in his pocket “profit”, there was no way.
In addition, Soviet trade good profit and all auditors/inspectors, who are often small (and sometimes not) bribe a blind eye to petty (and sometimes not) violations. Here also we should say that corruption communications in the Soviet trade took years to build, and corrupt the network consisted of often hundreds of participants.
04. Theft in factories and construction sites.
It’s all quite simple — dragged everything that wasn’t nailed down and was not screwed. However, the fact that it was bolted well, first Unscrew and then also stole. The sets of tools, dies for threading, glass, cement, even the bricks — I think many of you remember the garages and balconies, full of all that goodness. The saying “you are the host, not the guest, accompanied home at least a nail” was born not on an empty place — I saw a neighbor uncle Petit set of the Soviet files in the box? I think it’s store bought)?
Carried all that stuff through the checkpoints, or just tossed over the fence, which often involved accomplices. Once on the Internet I found a manual on how to properly make under the cloak of the propeller shaft for car with special counterweight)
Implemented all stolen either directly for money or by barter for specific goods or services.
05. Drivers with the depot, tractor drivers.
These were stealing gasoline and Solarium (classic), as well as parts and body paint. Taxi drivers often steal money, just not including a counter for the trip. In addition, in late years, taxi drivers were often involved in petty crime like helping prostitutes and illegal sellers of alcohol (banned Gorbachev’s “dry law”).
06. Shadow production.
Remember the phrase from “the Twelve chairs” that the whole smuggling is made in Odessa, on little Arnaut street? In principle, this phrase is applicable to much “company” that illegally was done in the USSR, plus of the stolen material is often sewed just more or less decent and fashionable clothes, not like a dark mantle of Department stores, part of the business, legalized in 1988, after he allowed the cooperatives. All of the shadow production in the USSR is a separate big topic, I will write about it.
In General, as you can see, “honest Soviet citizens” were not so honest. Can they blame? I think Yes and no. A considerable share of responsibility I would put on the very environment in total poverty and shortage, in which people were forced to survive.
Do you remember any incidents of household theft from the USSR?
Tell, interesting.
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