Silvestre Savitski
Silvestre Savitski was a Russian communist, and pioneer in the Colombian socialist movement.
Savitsky was a student in Moscow, when the Soviet government sent him to China to purchase foodgrains. However, Savitsky lost the money handed to him by the government playing roulette, and found himself in a position of not being able to return to Russia. He fled to Tokyo, and then to Panama, before finally arriving in Colombia. He settled down in Colombia, and began propagating Bolshevik ideas there. Around him a circle of followers emerged, including José del Mar, Gabriel Turbay and Luis Tejada. The group maintained contacts with the Socialist Party, but retained a separate political identity. Savitsky assisted the May 1, 1924, conference of the Socialist Party, which pledged to follow the 21 theses of the Communist International.
