Sukarno

His Excellency Sukarno
Sukarno in 1949
1st President of Indonesia
In office 18 August 1945 – 12 March 1967
Prime Minister	Sutan Sjahrir Amir Sjarifuddin Muhammad Hatta Abdul Halim Muhammad Natsir Soekiman Wirjosandjojo Wilopo Ali Sastroamidjojo Burhanuddin Harahap Djuanda Kartawidjaja
Vice President	Mohammad Hatta
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	Suharto
12th Prime Minister of Indonesia as President of Indonesia For Life
In office 9 July 1959 – 25 July 1966
President	Himself
Preceded by	Djuanda Kartawidjaja
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Personal details
Born	(1901-06-06)6 June 1901 Surabaya, East Java, Dutch East Indies
Died	21 June 1970(1970-06-21) (aged 69) Jakarta, Indonesia
Political party	Indonesian National Party
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Spouse(s)	Oetari Inggit Garnasih Fatmawati (m. 1943–1960) Hartini Kartini Manoppo Naoko Nemoto (Dewi Sukarno) (m. 1960–1970, his death) Haryati Yurike Sanger Heldy Djafar
Children	From Inggit Ratna Juami (adopted children) Kartika (adopted children) With Fatmawati Guntur Soekarnoputra Megawati Soekarnoputri Rachmawati Soekarnoputri Sukmawati Soekarnoputri Guruh Sukarnoputra With Hartini Taufan Soekarnoputra Bayu Soekarnoputra With Ratna Karina Kartika Sari Dewi Soekarno With Haryati Ayu Gembirowati With Kartini M Totok Suryawan Soekarnoputra
Alma mater	Bandung Institute of Technology
Religion	Sunni Islam
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Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was the first President of Indonesia, serving in office from 1945 to 1967.

Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for Independence from the Netherlands. He was a prominent leader of Indonesia's nationalist movement during the Dutch colonial period, and spent over a decade under Dutch detention until released by the invading Japanese forces. Sukarno and his fellow nationalists collaborated to garner support for the Japanese war effort from the population, in exchange for Japanese aid in spreading nationalist ideas. Upon Japanese surrender, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945, and Sukarno was appointed as first president. He led Indonesians in resisting Dutch re-colonization efforts via diplomatic and military means until the Dutch acknowledgment of Indonesian independence in 1949. Author Pramoedya Ananta Toer once wrote "Sukarno was the only Asian leader of the modern era able to unify people of such differing ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds without shedding a drop of blood."

After a chaotic period of parliamentary democracy, Sukarno established an autocratic system called "Guided Democracy" in 1957 that successfully ended the instability and rebellions which were threatening the survival of the diverse and fractious country. The early 1960s saw Sukarno veering Indonesia to the left by providing support and protection to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) at the expense of the military and Islamists. He also embarked on a series of aggressive foreign policies under the rubric of anti-imperialism, with aid from the Soviet Union and China. The 30 September Movement (1965) led to the destruction of the PKI and his replacement in 1967 by one of his generals, Suharto (see Transition to the New Order), and he remained under house arrest until his death.