Why did Joseph II reimpose censorship after initially relaxing it?

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Portrait painting of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, wearing a black and red military coat with medals and a sash, with St. Peter's Basilica visible in the background. — Joseph II Joseph II, Holy Roman emperor, detail of a painting by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni, 1769; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Joseph II initially relaxed censorship in 1781 to generate public support for his religious reforms, specifically by encouraging writers to condemn Roman Catholic clericalism and the pope.12

However, he reimposed censorship after these same writers began to criticize his own policies. As the political climate shifted and opposition to his reforms grew, Joseph II responded by reducing the initial liberalization. By 1786, he issued secret instructions for the police to monitor public opinion across all levels of society, and by 1789, police reports were primarily focused on identifying agitators and potential unrest.12