Answer: (1 is the oldest event)
1. Europe sent explorer and merchants along the Silk Road and across the Indian Ocean
2. European nations colonized countries in Southeast Asia
3. World War II broke out in Europe as well as in East Asia and Southeast Asia
4. Nations in Southeast Asia demanded and won independence
Multiple nations in Southeast Asia obtained their independence after World War II some as late as 1975 (Portuguese Timor - now East Timor).
