in october 1925 thälmann became chairman of the kpd and that year was a candidate for the german presidency. thälmann's candidacy in the second round of the presidential election split the centre-left vote and ensured that the conservative paul von hindenburg defeated the centre party's wilhelm marx. in october 1926 thälmann supported in person the dockers' strike in his home town of hamburg. he saw this as solidarity with the british miners' strike which had started on 1 may and had been profitable for hamburg docks as an alternative supplier of coal. thälmann's argument was that this "strike-breaking" in hamburg had to be stopped. in march, he took part in a demonstration in berlin, where he was injured by a blow from a sword.