In a nutshell, the protective tariffs were responsible for the development of the economy in the north but had the opposite impact in the south where they had the opposite effect.

This is further explained below.

<h3>What action was an economic cause of increased tension between the north and south?</h3>

Generally, One of the economic factors that contributed to the escalating tensions between the North and the South was the protective tariff. In terms of its economy, the North had developed into an industrialized region and had a large number of enterprises. On the other hand, the South maintained a significant reliance on agricultural production.

To assist the Northern Industries, high protective tariffs were imposed on commodities imported from other countries. Because of this, additional goods had to be purchased from northern vendors.

The South was forced to pay a higher price for the items that they imported from Europe as a result of this tariff, which benefited the North but put a bigger burden on the South.

To summarize, the protective tariffs contributed to the expansion of the economy in the north while having the opposite effect in the south.