White Matter (Beloye Delo)

«Белое дело» (Beloye Delo, literally "White Matter" or "White Cause") is a Russian public initiative and non-commercial historical-educational organization that grew out of a small group of individuals interested in the history of the Russian Civil War, the White Movement, White emigration, and anti-Bolshevik resistance. The group formed in 2008–2009 under the influence of polemics and blog posts by Moscow journalist A. S. Gasparyan, who left the organization in 2010. In 2010, an anonymous declaration of "Beloye Delo," written by St. Petersburg historian K. M. Alexandrov, gained wide circulation and defined the main directions of the organization's activities, helping attract like-minded people, especially in St. Petersburg. The organization is known for installing memorial plaques and commemorative signs dedicated to the history of the White Movement, and for organizing scholarly research in the history of the White Movement and Russian emigration. It has a number of representative offices in cities of Russia and Ukraine. On July 11, 2012, it was officially registered as the "Memorial-Educational and Historical-Cultural Center 'Beloye Delo'." The main distinction of "Beloye Delo" from similar informal groups is its aspiration to "avoid widespread marginalism through concrete positive activity with visible final results." Participants follow the theory of "small deeds." Each action or event is intended to have resonance and a positive task aimed at creating and improving the historical-cultural space. Personal effort, practical volunteerism, and self-sacrifice are considered decisive. Participants view their activity as a form of conscious Christian service. The majority belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, but belonging to other jurisdictions and confessions does not prevent participation in specific projects. Between 2009 and 2012, volunteers of "Beloye Delo" implemented more than 20 historical-cultural, memorial, and research projects. Memorials and commemorative signs are installed using private donations and personal funds of participants. Notable installations include a monument to the soldiers of the Northwestern Army in 2008 (the first stone monument in Russia dedicated to General N. N. Yudenich's Northwestern Volunteer Army), a memorial plaque near Zarasai, Lithuania, at the birthplace of P. N. Wrangel in 2009, granite plaques at the Ivangorod old cemetery near the Russian-Estonian border in 2009, a monument to Russian soldiers who died in World War I and the Civil War in Perm in 2009, a memorial plaque in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 2010, a memorial plaque at Kyn station in Perm Krai in 2010, and a plaque to General M. V. Alekseev in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2010.

«Белое дело» emerged from a small group of private individuals interested in the history of the Russian Civil War, the White Movement, White emigration, and anti-Bolshevik resistance. The group coalesced in 2008–2009 under the influence of polemics and blog posts by Moscow journalist A. S. Gasparyan on LiveJournal. In 2010, Gasparyan left the organization. Also in 2010, an anonymous declaration of "Beloye Delo," written by St. Petersburg historian K. M. Alexandrov (in some publications signed by A. S. Gasparyan), gained wide circulation. The document defined the main directions of the organization's activities and helped attract like-minded people, especially in St. Petersburg. On July 11, 2012, the organization was officially registered as the "Memorial-Educational and Historical-Cultural Center 'Beloye Delo'." It has representative offices in a number of cities in Russia and Ukraine. The organization's concept is to avoid marginalism through concrete positive activity with visible results, following the theory of "small deeds." Each action is intended to have resonance and a positive task aimed at creating and improving the historical-cultural space. Personal effort, practical volunteerism, and self-sacrifice are central. Participants view their activity as a form of conscious Christian service. The majority belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, but other jurisdictions and confessions are welcome. Between 2009 and 2012, volunteers implemented more than 20 historical-cultural, memorial, and research projects. Memorials and commemorative signs are funded by private donations and personal funds of participants. Key installations include: - October 18, 2008: Monument to soldiers of the Northwestern Army, the first stone monument in Russia dedicated to General N. N. Yudenich's Northwestern Volunteer Army, installed together with the Brotherhood of St. Archangel Michael. - August 14, 2009: Memorial plaque in Lithuania near Zarasai at the Mikuliai estate, birthplace of P. N. Wrangel. - September 18, 2009: Two granite plaques at the Ivangorod old cemetery near the Russian-Estonian border on mass graves of soldiers of the Northwestern Volunteer Army, one dedicated to Lieutenant V. N. Bykov, great-grandson of A. S. Pushkin and grand-nephew of N. V. Gogol. - November 11, 2009: Monument in Perm at the Yegoshikha cemetery on the site of an old military cemetery, to Russian soldiers who died in World War I and the Civil War, together with the magazine "Retrospective," the Perm Dr. Graal Foundation, and the 49th Infantry Division club. - November 29, 2009: Consecration of a kiot for the Tsarskoye Selo Icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos with a memorial plaque at the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg. - June 27, 2010: In Kharkiv, Ukraine, together with the Society of Memory of the Drozdovsky Division, a kiot was consecrated and opened in the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexander, Archbishop of Kharkiv. - August 28, 2010: Memorial plaque at Kyn station, Lysva district, Perm Krai, together with the Czech Embassy, in memory of those who died in fierce battles for the railway in 1918–1919. - September 12, 2010: Plaque to General M. V. Alekseev at the New Cemetery in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. - November 11, 2010: Further commemorative activities on the anniversary of the end of World War I.

• 2012

  July 11: Officially registered as Memorial-Educational and Historical-Cultural Center "Beloye Delo"

• 2010

  Anonymous declaration of "Beloye Delo" circulated

• 2010

  June 27: Kiot opened in Kharkiv, Ukraine

• 2010

  August 28: Memorial plaque at Kyn station, Perm Krai

• 2010

  September 12: Plaque to General M. V. Alekseev in Belgrade

• 2009

  August 14: Memorial plaque to P. N. Wrangel in Lithuania

• 2009

  September 18: Granite plaques at Ivangorod cemetery

• 2009

  November 11: Monument to Russian soldiers in Perm

• 2009

  November 29: Consecration of kiot in St. Petersburg

• 2008

  Group formed under influence of blog by A. S. Gasparyan

• 2008

  October 18: Monument to soldiers of the Northwestern Army installed

Non-profit historical-educational organization focused on preserving the memory of the White Movement through concrete positive action and volunteerism.

Product categories. Memorial plaques · Commemorative signs · Historical research projects · Educational events

1. 1White matter (organization) - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Белое дело (организация) - Wikipedia (Russian)ru.wikipedia.org