Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

About Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the final Shah of Iran, was a central political figure during the Cold War era, reigning from 1941 until his deposition in 1979. His historical importance, quantified by MIT's Pantheon project at rank #878, stems from his pivotal role in modernizing Iran—including land reforms and secularization—while simultaneously maintaining a strong, often authoritarian, pro-Western stance that placed him in direct opposition to the growing Islamist movement led by Ayatollah Khomeini.

In the modern digital landscape of 2025, Pahlavi garners 2.8 million annualized Wikipedia views, resulting in a significant +9x overattention relative to his historical rank. This indicates a strong, perhaps sensationalized, interest in his dramatic fall from power. For comparison, this level of attention far surpasses figures ranked much higher historically, such as Wilhelm Röntgen, ranked #250 but receiving only 265K views, demonstrating a marked modern fascination with the geopolitical drama surrounding the Iranian Revolution over established scientific milestones.

Further analysis shows that interest is currently growing, with a year-over-year view increase of +37.9% and a Q1 versus Q3 momentum of +6%. This surge suggests current events or historical anniversaries may be temporarily boosting his visibility above his baseline historical importance.