Signed by Czar Alexander II, the 1861 Edict of Emancipation granted liberty to more than 23 million serfs, about a third of the Russian population. The edict extended to the serfs the full rights of citizens, in particular, the right to own property—which they were to receive from the landlords and pay off over time. However, the process by which they were to acquire the land was slow, complex, and expensive. What was the village commune that controlled the peasants’ landholdings called? Discuss