What 1861 decree, signed by the emperor, legally freed over 20 million privately held peasants from their obligation to serve landowners?

• A The Emancipation Reform ✓
• B The Stolypin Reform
• C The Council Code
• D The Land Decree

Emperor Alexander II's Emancipation Reform of 1861 abolished serfdom, though freed peasants had to pay redemption dues to the state for the land they received.