Smithsonian Magazine Interview: Before Lincoln Issued the Emancipation Proclamation, This Russian Czar Freed 20 Million Serfs August 30, 2022 by CarolynHarris I discussed the reign of Czar Alexander II and the Abolition of Serfdom in Russia with Fred Frommer at Smithsonian Magazine. Click here to read “Before Lincoln Issued the Emancipation Proclamation, This Russian Czar Freed 20 Million Serfs” in Smithsonian Magazine