Empires and Interconnections explores the dynamic period from 1450-1750, when the world got smaller. Epic empires expanded, and followed trade routes, as European nations battled to control as much of the world’s wealth as possible. The dark side of this explosion of wealth and consolidated power and influence, meant enslavement and ruin for some, as Europeans unknowingly brought diseases that killed millions and meanwhile initiated the gruesome, inhumane Atlantic Slave Trade. Some nations remained autonomous and isolated, such as the Tokugawa of Japan, but it took huge effort to throw off this tidal wave of global interconnectedness.