Napoleon Bonaparte remains an influential and hugely controversial figure to this day.  He was a military leader and revolutionary who established new European states, while his Napoleonic code spread revolutionary ideas that challenged the prevailing feudal political, social and economic systems. However, his absolute control led to a loss of the personal freedoms gained during the Revolutionary era, his conquests caused untold amounts of suffering and death and he re-imposed slavery across French colonial possessions. These are just some of the issues you will need to wrestle with as you judge whether Napoleon can be regarded as a great leader.