Why the Civil War was Unavoidable By taking a look at sectional differences between the North and South of the United States, the Civil War could not have been prevented. The United States started off by trying to settle their differences through compromises. In the beginning of the 1960's, however, differences became so great that not even a compromise brought an agreement on issues. The Union and Confederate states were then forced to battle in the Civil War to solve the problems. The three main conflicts that started the war were, balance of power, taxes on imports and slavery. The balance of power had a big impact on the attitudes of the South causing a difference.