A leader of the Radical Party, he was elected to the presidency (1916–22). He actively supported organized labour until a series of strikes in 1918 and 1919 threatened economic paralysis. He then turned against the union movement with the same enthusiasm that he had shown in previously supporting it. Sitting out one term, Irigoyen was elected for a second time in 1928. It was an unstable period in Argentine history when corruption, continued labour unrest, and large budget deficits were all exacerbated by the Great Depression. The Argentine military stepped in to overthrow Irigoyen in 1930.