Suharto was an Indonesian Army officer and politician, who served as the head of state and head of government of Indonesia. He was also the second and the longest serving President of Indonesia. Widely classified as a dictator by foreign observers, Suharto was president for 31 years, from the coup d'etat against Sukarno in 1967 until his own ousting in 1998. The legacy of his 31-year rule, and his US$38 billion net worth, is still debated at home and abroad.
Suharto was born in a small village, Kemusuk, in the Godean area near the city of Yogyakarta, during the Dutch colonial era. He grew up in humble circumstances. His Javanese Muslim parents divorced not long after his birth, and he lived with foster parents for much of his childhood. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, Suharto served in Japanese-organised Indonesian security forces. Indonesia's independence struggle saw his joining the newly formed Indonesian Army. Suharto rose to the rank of major general following Indonesian independence.
An attempted coup on 30 September and 1 October 1965 was "countered" by Suharto-led troops.