Napoleon Bonaparte was a very powerful man ruling over France during the early 19th century. To some he is a hero who guided France to a better state. Others consider him to be a military dictator that lead to the demise of France. It is undecided among us and so given the evidence I have decided that Napoleon was, in fact a hero for the French. The French ruler’s reforms benefited the average French citizen greatly both economically and socially. PhD holder Ben Weider highlights some of these benefits in his article about Napoleon. He mentions that “the income of the French peasants skyrocketed” due to the establishment of the Bank of France and the French stock exchange. He also mentions the Code Napoleon, which put equality before law.