Social welfare programs began to be developed just after the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution created changes on many fronts: cultural, political, demographic, economic, etc. These changes over time saw the rise of communism and socialism as valid options to capitalism. Western nations, probably beginning with Germany, began to offer social welfare programs in order to compete with socialism and communism. Don't forget that around the time of WWII there were serious discussions in the West, to include the US, that capitalism was dead and that we would have to adopt either socialism, communism, or their kissing cousin fascism.
I don't think capitalism would exist now were it not for some sort of redistributive scheme and the existence of social safety nets.
Whoever criticizes capitalism, while approving immigration, whose working class is its first victim, had better shut up. Whoever criticizes immigration, while remaining silent about capitalism, should do the same.
I've never read or heard such a reference as that before, but kinda interesting. Seems to me that it would have been the economic mindset of Genghis Khan as he conquered and subjugated what are now parts of Western Russia, Poland and Hungary in Eastern Europe. On the contrary, it seems, there is this:
Without knowing much about Khan, that quote doesn't appear on the surface to support Chesterton's remark.
Also, I don't think it's quite accurate to call free trade "capitalism".
It's a slight toward Russian society.
Whoever criticizes capitalism, while approving immigration, whose working class is its first victim, had better shut up. Whoever criticizes immigration, while remaining silent about capitalism, should do the same.