Serfdom in Russia Great, businesses began to send serfs into those areas in an attempt to harvest their large amount of untapped natural resources Tsar Alexander I wanted to reform the system but was thwarted in this ambition. New laws allowed all classes (except the serfs) to own land, a privilege that had previously been confined to the nobility. Russian serfdom was finally abolished in the emancipation reform of 1861 by Tsar Alexander II. Scholars have proposed multiple overlapping reasons to account for the abolition, including fear of a large-scale revolt by the serfs, the government's financial needs, evolving cultural sensibilities, and the
What Was Said What Was Said What Was Said (released January 29, 2016 on the ECM label) is an album by pianist Tord Gustavsen, vocalist Simin Tander and drummer Jarle Vespestad. The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded "What Was Said" 4 stars and stated "This band incorporates improvisational elements into the core of each composition, and the role of the singer is as a co-conspirator in the creation of the moment.". They also selected it as one of their Favorite Jazz Albums of 2016. Writing in The Guardian, John Fordham called it "returning to simple songs with religious roots, and to collaboration