1. The Second Economy Some people risked arrest and imprisonment in order to make a profit. They opened up private businesses, providing consumer goods or services that were in demand. This was in their spare time, but it was against the communist philosophy and, therefore, illegal. The second economy provided a way for Soviet citizens to increase their standard of living by both buying and selling consumer goods. Some economists estimate that the second economy (black market) was at least as big as the official, planned economy.