Probably, even modern youth heard something about the rubber product number 2. What is it? In the Land of Soviets, where “there was no sex,” ordinary condoms were hidden under this deliberately official name. When such remedies appeared in the USSR, what did they look like, how much did they cost, where were they manufactured and sold? Find out about this from the article.
How and when gum appeared in the USSR
The rubber product number 2 (a photo of the packaging of the Soviet condom is given below in the article) appeared on the territory of Russia before the 1917 revolution. From Europe, condoms have been imported into the country since the end of the nineteenth century, and in addition to rubber, protective equipment made of materials of plant and animal origin (flax, livestock guts, fish bubbles) was widely used.
Immediately after the revolution, in the twenties of the last century, the sexual revolution almost happened in the Soviet Union. The Bolsheviks, in an effort to destroy faith, the church and Orthodox values, almost eradicated marital fidelity. There was a period when the idea was propagated that satisfying sexual needs with someone was the same natural thing as satisfying thirst and hunger.
This was the reason for the beginning of mass production of condoms, which received almost a strategic name, namely “rubber product number 2”. In the USSR, the production of contraceptives was established by order of Lavrenty Beria in the thirties of the last century. The new ideology, destroying church canons, was not supposed to destroy the health of Soviet citizens.
The first products number 2 in the USSR (as we have said, condoms) appeared in the first half of the 20th century. Beria, who himself was famous for his love affairs, was personally interested in the production of protective equipment. And the whole world at that time was struck by an epidemic of syphilis, and penicillin has not yet been used in its treatment. In short, the builders of communism had to be saved from the epidemic.
Where does such an official name come from?
Product number two in the USSR is an ordinary condom, but why did everyone call it a means of barrier contraception? The word "rubber" is understandable, because latex did not exist yet, and condoms were really made from a common material - ordinary rubber.
Why did the means of protection come to be called product number two in the USSR? There are three versions. The first one says that gas masks were also produced at the Bakovsky plant in the Moscow region, which manufactured item number 2 in the USSR (manufacturing city - Odintsovo). They were considered products No. 1, on which, in fact, production was oriented, and condoms, respectively, became No. 2.
By the way, today the only plant in the country for the production of barrier contraception is closed. Nowadays, shampoos are poured there and medical gloves are made, and the lines for the production of condoms are preserved.
According to another version, Soviet means of barrier contraception were made in three sizes, which are indicated by numbers. The average size (No. 2) was the most common, so this is the name that ultimately stuck to all the “rubber bands”.
There is still an opinion that domestic condoms received such an official name because they corresponded to the European standard - the second. The products of the first standard are oriental. They differ in parameters. The length of European products is at least 198 mm, and the width varies from 52 to 54 mm. Oriental condoms are smaller: 178 and 44-46 mm, respectively.
What did Soviet condoms look like?
Product number 2 in the USSR was not much different from modern counterparts. True, when the first "gum" appeared in the Union, they still did not have a special tank at the tip, which is intended for collecting sperm.
Two condoms were packaged in paper packaging. It indicated the price and size (second). The sizes of the first and third to buy was problematic. The means of barrier contraception themselves were gray or flesh-colored, and their thickness was twice the thickness of modern analogues.
Outside, the product was sprinkled with talcum powder so that they would not stick together and do not cake. This was a completely unfortunate idea. Talc not only caused irritation to the genitals, but also from the vagina could get into the uterus or even the abdominal cavity. This powder can cause a chronic inflammatory process and even peritonitis.
And also products number 2 in the USSR (packaging photo below) very often torn. In some sources, you can find references to the fact that out of ten pieces during use, about three became unusable, but at that time Soviet citizens had no choice.
Where could I buy condoms
Product number 2 in the USSR was sold only in pharmacies. Most pharmacists were women, so before the sexual revolution, men were often embarrassed to buy condoms. For a woman, such a purchase was completely indecent, because only a man had to take care of contraception at that time. Often, pharmacists not only refused to purchase products for adolescents, but they could also inform their parents or school.
The famous phrase that there is no sex in the USSR was taken out of context, but it generally reflects the attitude of Soviet citizens to sexuality education. Until the 80s, this topic was banned.
There was a real condom shortage in the country. Those that were delivered to pharmacies quickly sold out in batches. Most often they were purchased for resale, but sometimes for personal use. As a result, everything turned out so that contraception was bought more often from under the floor than in drugstores.
Contraception problem
In such conditions, women were forced to prevent pregnancy by the calendar method or with the help of ineffective folk recipes. However, often these methods of contraception ended in conception. It is known that Soviet women did abortions very often, and during the time of their prohibition clandestine operations flourished. Usually, “experts” were found by reviews of acquaintances or colleagues.
How and where did you use number 2 products
Condoms in the USSR were very often used for other purposes. There was no “sex” in the Union, but there were workers, military men, miners and housewives. During the field work, fishermen, tourists and scientists hid in the rubber product number 2 everything that is afraid of moisture. The military using these contraceptives protected parts of the weapon from dirt and water.
Geologists collected gas samples into gum, and doctors made excellent bundles of them to stop bleeding. Housewives using product number 2 prepared delicious homemade wine. Particularly distinguished were prisoners who carried alcohol in condoms in the camps.
Interesting facts and figures
Here are some interesting facts about rubber products in the Soviet Union and in the world:
- Latex contraceptives appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century in Europe, but in the USSR they were not there until the 80s.
- The industry began to produce seamless condoms only in 1912.
- The first products in the USSR number 2 (their photos are above in the article) appeared in 1936. They were released at a factory in the suburbs.
- In 1953, a condom cost twenty kopecks apiece, and in 1968 - two kopecks. By the eighties, this contraceptive was already worth ten cents.
- It was believed that a condom could withstand a bucket of water.
- In the late 80s, the domestic plant began to paint products in different colors, to make condoms glowing in the dark.
- According to statistics, up to 70% of all modern condoms are bought by women, not men.
Modern contraceptives
The human sex life has become much safer, and contraception more reliable and convenient than it was in the Soviet Union. Now it will not occur to any manufacturer to sprinkle condoms with talcum powder or to make them from unverified materials that can cause an allergic reaction. Thousands of women today are protected from unwanted pregnancies, and millions of people of both sexes are protected from sexually transmitted diseases. And all this thanks to the most common condoms, which can be purchased at any pharmacy.