An underlying cause of world war i was
a. the ongoing dispute over the convoy system.
b. the web of alliances european nations created for their defense.
c. an alliance between the autocratic rulers of germany and russia.
d. american insistence on neutrality.

it provided for selection of government employees through competitive examinations. it also made it unlawful to fire or demote covered employees for political reasons or to require them to give political service or payment, and it set up a civil service commission to enforce the law.

explanation:

nothing certain is known about what happened, but it seems that the country declined gradually, perhaps due to bad government, or, more likely, due to a series of bad harvests, which resulted in widespread and recurrent famine.