Marx → workers collectively own factories; the state is only a temporary caretaker and then disappears, creating a class‑free, democratic society.

Stalin → replaced worker control with a permanent, centralized state; used terror and forced collectivisation, so the state never withered and a new ruling class emerged.

Cuba → nationalised industry and runs a centrally planned economy, but the state still decides production and limits genuine worker self‑management, falling short of Marx’s democratic ownership.

North Korea → the regime makes the state the sole owner of all assets and enforces a hereditary dictatorship, completely opposite to Marx’s vision of a stateless, classless community.