The congress was organised on the initiative of James Mawdsley and David Holmes, and of the 179,000 workers represented, 150,000 were covered by the British unions.
The European delegates argued unsuccessfully for the creation of an international strike fund, and successfully for the appointment of a general secretary to organise action.
William Marsland was appointed in 1905, and initially proved successful, learning French and publishing a quarterly newsletter.
However, his decision to publish an obituary for Edward VII proved highly controversial, and he stood down, to be replaced by Tom Shaw.
Reductions in the working week were achieved over the next few years, and the federation agreed to establish a full-time secretariat, to be based in Manchester.