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effect was especially felt in western Europe. How did the spread of Christianity lead to the decline of Western civilization? Part of the contribution of Christianity to the decline of the
Roman Empire is economic, and this part was indirect, since it was
within the power of the Christian emperors to act as they did. Constantine's financial assistance to the Christians was grossly
disproportionate to their numbers, particularly during the early
part of his reign. This effectively resulted in a transfer of
wealth from the majority of citizens to a privileged elite. The
swingeing taxes needed to support this largesse also resulted in a
loss of motivation for the middle classes, and this a decline in
prosperity. While economics was not yet a field of study in the
time of Constantine, it is now recognised that the massive
expenditure that Constantine incurred, and the legacy that he
passed on to his sons and successors, were an important
contributing factors in the decline of the Roman Empire. A further factor was the decline in education and, with it, the
decline in the skills necessary to maintain a thriving empire. The
Christian Church held that education was only necessary if it
helped in meeting the needs of the Church. Eventually, even kings
were often illiterate.