[Coyoteman]

The terms ‘left’ and ‘right’ were defined by the left. Anything that opposed International Communism, be it free-market classical liberalism, Throne-and-Altar European conservatism, or Naziism or fascism (actually distinct phenomena) was defined to be ‘right wing’.

Wrong. See this article.

[The_Reader_David]

You cite an article of disputed neutrality from Wikipedia, which has been vetted as having a leftist bias?

Gee, I guess my position has been devastated.

Sure, there’s a pre-history back to the French Revolution and the seating in the Assembly, but the usage since about 1920 is exactly as I described it.

[Sherman Logan]

David is exactly correct that this is how the term was defined during the 30s by leftists/socialists, the period of the “Popular Front” in France and other countries.

During this period the most common slogan on the Left was, “No enemy to the Left.” Which implies that anybody to your right is indeed an enemy. “Moderate” socialists were largely oblivious to the implications of this meme for themselves relative to those on their Left. Although some of the moderates, notably in Spain, found out the hard way.

Liberals/socialists today generally use the term in exactly the same way, despite the fact that it wasn’t particularly appropriate in the 30s and is even less so today.