Soekarno atau Sukarno dengan nama lahir Koesno Sosrodihardjo yang lahir di Surabaya, Jawa Timur, 6 Juni 1901 dan meninggal di Jakarta, 21 Juni 1970 pada umur 69 tahun adalah Presiden Indonesia pertama yang menjabat pada periode 1945–1966. Ia memainkan peranan penting dalam memerdekakan bangsa Indonesia dari penjajahan Belanda. Ia adalah Proklamator Kemerdekaan Indonesia bersama dengan Mohammad Hatta yang terjadi pada tanggal 17 Agustus 1945. Soekarno adalah yang pertama kali mencetuskan konsep mengenai Pancasila sebagai dasar negara Indonesia dan ia sendiri yang menamainya.Soekarno menandatangani Surat Perintah 11 Maret 1966 Supersemar yang kontroversial, yang isinya—berdasarkan versi yang dikeluarkan Markas Besar Angkatan Darat—menugaskan Letnan Jenderal Soeharto untuk mengamankan dan menjaga keamanan negara dan institusi kepresidenan. Supersemar menjadi dasar Letnan Jenderal Soeharto untuk membubarkan Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI) dan mengganti anggota-anggotanya yang duduk di parlemen. Setelah pertanggungjawabannya ditolak Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Sementara (MPRS) pada sidang umum ke empat tahun 1967, Soekarno diberhentikan dari jabatannya sebagai presiden pada Sidang Istimewa MPRS pada tahun yang sama dan Soeharto menggantikannya sebagai pejabat Presiden Republik Indonesia.
Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970), was the first President of Indonesia. Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first president, in office from 1945 to 1967. 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.
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 led to the destruction of PKI and his replacement by one of his generals, Suharto (see Transition to the New Order), and he remained under house arrest until his death.
