Although long-standing trade routes meant that many of the world’s civilizations were in contact with one another before 1500, this interaction accelerated drastically in the sixteenth century when Europe became a much larger player in world trade. Europe began establishing trade routes to the newly discovered Americas and sent Christian missionaries to all corners of the globe. The sources in this chapter examine the impact of Europe’s entrance into the global community and address the continued importance of the civilizations that had established earlier trade routes in the Indian Ocean.