Suharto came to power in a sort of military coup, although it was more like he wrestled power from the then president Sukarno, who was then eventually ousted. Suharto was Indonesia's second president after the de-colonization from the Dutch. Suharto was staunchly anti-Communist which landed him in a very favorable position in the eyes of the West and although a controversial figure, he is noted with for significant economic growth and industrialization and greatly increasing the health and education standards.