An assessment of civic education during the authoritarian regime of Francisco Franco in Spain (1939-1975) is presented along with a comparison of the regime's efforts with those of the United States. Franco's dictatorship was characterized by authoritarian values of subordination, obedience, perpetuation of power, and maintenance of the status quo. The "good" citizen was politically disinterested and apathetic. The schools, however, were not very successful in promoting the values desired by the government, partly because of the obvious discrepancies between what was being taught and the political, social, and economic realities of Spanish society. The curricular emphasis was on the ideals, theory, and structure of the organic state and a selective analysis of history which justified the Franco regime. As a result students became apathetic rather than successfully indoctrinated. The regime failed in gaining the allegiance of Spanish youth and in developing the elite which would perpetuate Francoism. In comparison, numerous civic education programs in the United States display weaknesses similar to those of Franco's Spain. Students are subjected to attempts to inculcate "American" political, social, and economic values. The discrepancy between the social world as it is and as portrayed in the classroom is often tremendous. Efforts in citizenship education have not prevented widespread political apathy among American youth or stemmed the tide of disrespect toward the most important institutions of our society. Finally, as in Spain, citizenship education programs have not been continually reassessed and modified. (Author/KC)