during the years of the weimar republic, the kpd was the largest communist party in europe and was seen as the "leading party" of the communist movement outside the soviet union. it maintained a solid electoral performance, usually polling more than 10% of the vote and gaining 100 deputies in the november 1932 elections. in the presidential election of the same year, thälmann took 13.2% of the vote, compared to hitler's 30.1%. under thälmann's leadership, the party was closely aligned with the soviet leadership headed by joseph stalin, and from 1928 the party was largely controlled and funded by comintern in moscow.