The Other Emancipation Proclamation

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the liberation of the Russian serfs by Tsar Alexander II, the New York Times glimpses into the past. Unlike his correspondent Abraham Lincoln, the Tsar managed to end slavery in his country without a bloody civil war, though as the article notes there were other important differences between the Russian and American systems. Tragically, Alexander II was assassinated twenty years later, apparently confirming the adage that "no good deed goes unpunished."