As an ideal type, communism is an economic system under which all property is communally owned, and no social distinctions are made based on people's ability to produce. In its theoretical form, as envisioned by Karl Marx, communism represents a stateless, classless society where resources are distributed based on need ("from each according to his ability, to each according to his need"). Private property is abolished, and the means of production are owned by the community as a whole. While various political movements and states have identified as communist, the ideal type of a fully communist society has never been fully realised in practice. These attempts have often involved authoritarian rule and state control over the economy and social life.