The subject has come up in other threads, and there seems to be a notion among some that the absence of war would slow down technological development. I feel like we really need a thread for dedicated discussion on this topic. The details for how the Great War is averted is not of importance. Let us for the sake of argument say that without the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, there are potential sparks for war similar to the Agadir crisis, but push never comes to shove.
Before going on, let me state the two obvious things (which also seem to be non-obvious):
1) The war killed off a generation of young men, many of which undoubtedly had skill and ideas.
2) The war wrecked Europe's economical network, and left it with an empty cupboard.
Discussion may commence.