 Alessandri appealed to those who believed the social question should be addressed, to those worried by the decline in nitrate exports during World War I, and to those weary of presidents dominated by Congress.Promising "evolution to avoid revolution", he pioneered a new campaign style of appealing directly to the masses with florid oratory and charisma.After winning a seat in the Senate representing the mining north in 1915, he earned the sobriquet "Lion of Tarapacá."