Today marks 85 years since the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued the Decree of July 10, 1940, "On Liability for the Production of Substandard or Incomplete Products and for Non-Compliance with Mandatory Standards by Enterprises".
The document stated that "the production of substandard or incomplete industrial products and the production of goods in violation of mandatory standards constitute a counter-state crime, equivalent to wrecking". Those found guilty - directors, chief engineers, and heads of quality control departments of enterprises - faced imprisonment for a term of 5 to 8 years.
At that time, the problem of defective products was indeed extremely acute. This was partly because many enterprises were chasing plan fulfillment. But the reasons also lay in poor equipment and low personnel qualifications. At the same time, many points to the difficult period, as World War II was already approaching the borders of the USSR. Therefore, it was necessary to mobilize citizens and strengthen production discipline. Stalin and his associates sought to consolidate their power as much as possible so that the people would not relax or think that the time of struggle against "wreckers" had passed. It was for this purpose that the mentioned Decree was issued.