Final answer:
Louis XIV's persecution of the Huguenots resulted in the loss of skilled workers, causing economic harm and hindering France's progress.
Step-by-step explanation:
Louis XIV's persecution of the Huguenots harmed France by driving away a significant portion of its industrious and skilled population. After the reign of Henry IV, who issued the Edict of Nantes granting the Huguenots religious freedoms, France enjoyed a period of relative peace which allowed for domestic stability and exploration. However, with the revocation of the Edict by Louis XIV in 1685, the new wave of persecution led many Huguenots to flee to other more tolerant countries, taking with them valuable artisanal skills and contributing to a brain drain that negatively affected the French economy and stymied its development.