Suharto

General Soeharto (commonly spelled Suharto in the English-speaking world) (born June 8, 1921) was an Indonesian leader and military strongman. He was the second President of Indonesia, from 1967 to 1998.

Related Topics:
June 8 - 1921 - Indonesia - Strongman - President of Indonesia - 1967 - 1998

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The legacy of his years as a dictator in Indonesia was first and foremost one of brutality, the entrenchment of the corrupt military in politics, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands. His rule were characterized by a period of economic growth in the country (although Indonesia still lagged far behind its neighbours in Malaysia and Singapore), although much of the standard of living gains made were eventually reversed by the Asian financial crisis that began in 1997. Suharto enriched himself, his family and his associates to the extent that a 1997 Forbes survey found him to be the sixth-richest man in the world, as a result of a variety of state monopolies, subsidies, corruption, and other schemes. He constructed a strong, centralized national government that maintained political stability in the diverse Indonesian archipelago through suppression of political dissent and regular use of the military to preserve control.

Related Topics:
Economic growth - Standard of living - Asian financial crisis - 1997 - Monopolies - Subsidies - Political dissent - Military

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~