Punishments for economic crimes during the years of "perestroika" (1985-1991): change in conceptual approaches

After the establishment of Soviet power as a result of the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, the nationalization of the economy, and above all industry, was carried out relatively quickly with the corresponding liquidation of private ownership of the means of production and land in accordance with the Marxist-Leninist interpretation. Based on this, responsibility for crimes in the economic sphere was reduced to punishments for acts against property (and above all theft), and for economic crimes (speculation, deception of buyers, etc.); the punishment, where the object of the act was state property, was more severe than in the case of the personal property of citizens. This was the case until the second half of the 1980s, when, within the framework of the well-known Gorbachev perestroika, elements of a market economy began to be introduced into the economy of the late USSR, and at an accelerated pace. Inevitably, the criminal legislation regulating responsibility for crimes in the economic sphere also began to change. The article examines the features of this process during the perestroika period (1985-1991). The relevant legislative acts, as well as scientific works that touch upon the stated topic, are analyzed. It is noted, in particular, that there was a collision of criminal laws of the union (USSR) and republican (in this case, the RSFSR) level, including speculation (according to the union law, this was still a crime, while according to the Russian law, it was not).