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
Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in the final with the song "What If". In 2014, RTR selected Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006 winners Tolmachevy Sisters who placed seventh in the final with the song "Shine". The Russian broadcaster for the 2015 Contest, who broadcast the event in Russia and organised the selection process for its entry, was Channel One Russia (C1R). Since 2008, the Russian participation in the contest alternates between C1R and Russia-1 (RTR); with C1R in charge for 2015. Russia has used various methods to select the Russian entry in the past, including national finals and internal selections. Since 2013, both Russian broadcasters