In this article an analysis is undertaken of Spanish educational discourse during the early years of the Franco regime, from the Civil War (1936-1939) to the establishment of the "Nuevo Estado" or New State (1939-1943), employing Reinhart Koselleck's principles of conceptual history. Without totally spurning the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the new regime, this educational discourse constructed an imagined community of "España Nacional" (Nationalist Spain) by means of a historical narrative that began with the uprising led by General Franco in July 1936. The discourse sought to recover the importance of the nation's traditions so as to promote a conceptual and symbolic imaginary that might lead to the re-Christianisation and Hispanisation of society, based firmly on a providential vision of Spain's history. It rejected the ideas of modern pedagogy in favour of an education based on the essential elements of the fatherland, namely, the Catholic faith and the imperial mission embodied in the idea of "Hispanidad" (a community of Spanish-speaking peoples), and understood as a spiritual message that would redeem humanity.