Isn't a lot of the initial progress of women being treated as equals in the workplace in the US related to their work in factories during WW2?
IIRC the end of colonialism and thus the end of the associated oppression, is also associated with the world wars, as they left the colonial powers too exhausted to retain their overseas empires.
Perhaps, although perhaps cultural progress as well. For example, perhaps the hippie movement of the 60s was enhanced by the threat of draft in the Vietnam war.
Tech trees are straightforward to visualize but I challenge you to think of a law tree or social norm tree as well.