Putin! But just 20 years later, it's hard to believe that the world was once dominated by two superpowers held in check by mutually assured destruction. What's really amazing to me, though, is that until the late 1980s, it felt like the Cold War was going to go on forever. Time seems to slow as it approaches us, and living in the post-Cold War nuclear age, we should remember that the past feels distant even when it's near, and that the future seems assured even though it isn't. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller.