Actually, I don't believe that history shows people routinely acting rationally and peacefully in the midst of extreme poverty at all. A large number of people in such conditions do, of course, but large numbers of them also do not. Such areas are inherently unstable, because the majority of people living there are unable to make ends meet materially, with the consequences being many of them seeking power and privileged positions over each other, or turning to crime, all in the attempt to become one of the privileged few that the money-based system allows. This is the basis of groups like the Taliban, the Amin ruled government of Uganda during the 1970s, and South Central Los Angeles of today. Crime and corruption are common features of any area where poverty is rampant, and only a few live in a privileged, materially well-off position.